Time of the Season
by usjintx
Summary: A collection of stories from the CPU's of Lastation, Planeptune, and Lowee from Gamindustri itself. Each one details what they were doing on Heartmas Eve, as each nation experiences their own way of celebrating the beloved day. Have A Good Holiday Season, everyone!
1. The Eye in the Looking Glass

The Eye in the Looking Glass

Hello everyone, Usjintx here. My friend, who's identity shall remain hidden, decided to retire from writing fanfictions, mostly due to negative reviews against his work. Thus, he allowed me to publish his idea of a Christmas story, with the first chapter (shown below) being written last year, surprisingly. It was the only one written; all further chapters are based off of his notes, so sorry if the quality drop is really significant. I hope he enjoys his retirement, and I hope I do this idea justice.

Since he never proofread this, and for sake of authenticity I didn't either, sorry if it feels completely rushed.

…

Heartmas Memory 1: The Eye in the Looking Glass

Alone within a rather big reading room, Uni stood observing quite an amazing sight.

When she walked into the room just an hour earlier, her eyes were at first drawn to the huge Heartmas Tree in the corner of the room, the one that she, personally, placed the star on top. As the evening began to transition to night, the final light of the day leaked through the huge window that rested next to the tree, allowing the mighty symbol to be casted into a golden blanket of beauty, something that only took the breath away for those that held souls within. The Candidate was one of those people, as she couldn't help but feel mesmerized by the grand sight. Even though building the tree was quite the hassle (Noire yelling at her constantly throughout the development did not help matters), in the end, seeing this result made Uni feel proud to be alive.

"Wow… it really is beautiful…"

She has celebrated countless Heartmas's over the years, and yet she had never experienced such a sight. The room, with its old wooden-style appearance, coupled with a hefty fireplace on the other side of the room, was only filled with more light and joy as the sunlight began to slowly shift down the heavenly branches, with the light bouncing off of the mighty bulbs, Heartmas lights, garland, and the occasional fake miseltoe (It was only for decorative purposes, at least according to Noire), making the world feel so grand. Uni couldn't bother to move, enjoying the great scene until the very last bit of light finally left the room, and she was left isolated within the dark cloud of emptiness, with only the fire in the brick fireplace lighting the room up, though this was merely a disturbing orange glow.

When that was done, she simply sighed, still feeling happy, but at the same time quite sad; it was as if the leaving light was Heartmas leaving her behind. She knew that the great day was technically tomorrow, but she still felt that the eve was much more eventful, or at least it was in the previous years. Once everything became a distressed void, she quickly went over to a red-emblazed recliner that stood opposite the Heartmas tree. Once she sat down, she took a book from the mini-table next to her, and even though it was almost completely black, she attempted to read, anyways.

The fire continued to burn in a heated glory, and as she sat attempting to read, the fire only continued to grow in intensity. After a little bit, she decided to walk over and flip the switch that allowed the lights on the tree to illuminate. Soon, the orange glow throughout the room was joined by an assortment of colors, ranging from a bright blue to an exquisite purple, with an occasional bulb blinking on and off. It didn't help Uni's reading condition, but it did help her feel dreamy.

"Ah… w-wait, I can't sleep now! I would never hear the end of it from Kei!" she stammered in fear, quickly throwing the book down in frustration. She knew that her Oracle liked to pick on either Noire or herself if they were found in the Reading Room slumbering, but that actually wasn't her biggest fear. Just like a little kid, she didn't want to be exactly near the tree on the eve of Heartmas, for doing so would get her in trouble with the Santa-Tome, at least in her mind. Besides, it wouldn't be right to just be near the tree during this beautiful night.

She contemplated going back to her bedroom, but after looking at the time on her handheld game console (which was in her dress pocket, apparently), she felt it was too soon; she had to go to bed, of course, but not at seven in the evening! Thus, she was essentially left with only this room, as the rest of the Basilicom was filled with party preparations, and even if they weren't, Noire would find something to complain about, and after seeing that beautiful sight, Uni didn't want to deal with that at the moment.

After contemplating for quite some time, she finally realized that, since she checked the time on her freaking handheld _game _console, she decided to play whatever was in there. "I'm going to be getting some new ones tomorrow, so might as well finish what I already have," she stated in silence, allowing the bright screen to illuminate right into her face. Lowering the volume, she quickly booted up some strange game involving a girl with a shield plowing through thousands of soldiers during some ancient period she wasn't even aware of. It was a strange game, yes, but it will hold her off until tomorrow; call her selfish, but she really did want something for that console of hers.

For about 25 minutes, she sat there, draining the battery as she continuously picked this girl, slaughtering hundreds along the way, in order to conquer a weirdly shaped nation (it certainly wasn't Gamindustri) for, as far as she could tell, no discernable reason. All the while the tree in the corner shined its bright light, the star on top, with its blue-and-orange glow, singing a tune only those who truly listen could hear. Uni would occasionally look at it, smile, then go back to her game, still wishing the evening sun was still on the tree; for some reason, there was a certain feeling of safety when that occurred, something that the Candidate, for some odd reason, felt she hadn't experienced in a long time. Still, she shook off that feeling as she went back to the game.

At some point, perhaps due to a strange sound coming from the fireplace, Uni would look up once more. The fireplace, made of brick in a classic style, had a mantle above it, where pictures of Uni, Noire, and Kei stood, along with the occasional picture of Neptune, though don't tell anyone about that. Above these photos was a rather big painting, framed in solid bronze, that showed a beautiful women who, if you looked closely and in the right lighting, looked like the CPU of this nation, albeit older and with the hair down. The Candidate always asked her sibling and Oracle about it, but both claimed they didn't know or it was just symbolic, respectively. Still, those red eyes on her, painted in a much different manner, always struck some strange warmth within her tiny body.

However, her sight neglected all of these objects for one reason or another, for instead she focused on a bizarre object located right in the middle of all of it. It was locked away within a clear, glass case, allowing all sides of its spherical shape to be seen. The lights from the Heartmas Tree gave it an eerie glow, allowing its golden body to shine through the heavy darkness. From what Uni could tell, the object was a weird eye, as the golden body had a tiny opening that displayed what appeared to be a black abyss, with only a sapphire in the middle, shaped in the style of a Maker iris.

For all the years she had been there, the Candidate had to admit that she never actually saw this eye-thing before. Was it placed there recently? Did she just somehow miss it every time? It was a strange object to just simply be overlooked, so it had to have been there no less than a week or so. "Why… Did Noire make it? Nah, she can't make anything good!" she said with with a sly snicker. Still, that would mean that either Kei made it, or one of the Goddesses of the other nations sent it to them as a gift, and that just seemed unlikely; Neptune would have sent pudding, Vert would have sent a disturbing game involving butlers, and Blanc would send a book yelling at their existence, while the Candidates often didn't send anything at all (Nepgear did once, but it wasn't a freaking golden eye). So, with that, what the hell was thing?

Uni attempted to pick it up, but she soon discovered that the eye wasn't being held down by anything, so when she touched the glass case, it began to roll, causing her to flinch. "Yikes! Don't want to break it. If it's Noire's, that would suck!"

As she said this, another soul entered the room and spotted the Candidate. Deciding to be an ass for a moment, she quickly snuck up to her and lightly grasped the tiny shoulder of Uni. Our favorite little Candidate locked up for one second, squealed for another, and quickly swung her free hand right around. Unfortunately, she never met a target, and thus, she was now standing there, looking like a fool with an extended arm, a frightened composure, and her teeth chattering. This would have been fine if it wasn't for Kei Jinguji, their beloved Oracle, just standing there, chuckling to herself.

"K-Kei? W-What the hell? Don't do that!" Uni screamed, feeling so ashamed to have been taken back by someone who normally spoke like a hilarious robot. This only made the Oracle chuckle some more.

"Please, are you honestly saying you are scared?" she taunted, playfully of course, though Uni didn't take it as such.

"N-No! Of course you didn't scare me! I-I was just cold, is all, so I went to the fire. Th-That's why I'm shivering and sweaty. No other reason!" She stated with a rather adorable stammer, knowing herself that Kei woudn't buy that. The Oracle finally broke out into a full-on laugh (it actually sounded human), though she quickly stifled it after one second. It wasn't proper for an Oracle to laugh at random things (Chika broke that all the time). She soon walked over to the mighty Heartmas tree, also being delighted by its fine assortment of beauty.

"I'm glad it came out good this year. It looks striking outside as well, so it seems we did an excellent job. Speaking of which, though, why are you currently in here, anyways? You do understand that you must be in bed by-"

Uni soon got over her fright, replacing the emotion with vexation. "Yeah, I know, but it's only seven thirty! Besides, I'm not a little kid!"

Kei shrugged, still looking at the tree. "I know, but you understand what I mean. I would say to be out of this room by nine, however. Santa-Tome is quite strict when it comes to delivery times," she remarked, never taking her eyes off that beautiful star.

Uni sighed. "Hey, I already know there isn't a Santa-Tome. You don't have to make it so childish!" she stammered, though as she did, for some odd reason a bizarre feeling crept up along her spine. As Kei continued to be amazed at the wonderful tree, the Candidate looked back at the eye, which seemed to now be looking at her, thanks to being rolled around. Needless to say, that disturbed feeling started to come back, though she quickly sucked it up as she turned her attention back to her Oracle. It would at least stop her from looking bad, or at least she hoped it would.

"Hey, Kei, what's with this weird eye thing? Was it always there?" Uni questioned, still surprised at how golden it was. In fact, now that she was focusing on it again, she noticed how detailed the carvings were, with ripples that looked like waves being seen all around it. Hell, the dark abyss of within had faint pictures as well, though the lack of sufficient light made it impossible to distinguish them.

The Oracle at first appeared to have ignored her Candidate, but soon she stated, rather monotonely, "It's just an heirloom from your mother."

The room suddenly went silent, as Kei brought a hand up to her mouth, realizing that she made a huge mistake. "K-Kei? What did you just say?" Uni said in absolute astonishment. Her Oracle looked at her, the eyes on her face shaking uncontrollably as her skin went clammy. What did she do? No, seriously, what did she do? What happened that caused her to be this way?

The Oracle, who started to bolt towards the door, made a huge, deep breath. Uni attempted to grab her shoulder, but was unfortunately too slow. "Kei, where are you going? What do you mean my mom? I don't have a mom!" she yelled, feeling that strange chill once more running its course through her back, making her flinch a little. The fire burned even more brightly and intensely as the Oracle stood in the doorway, feeling absolutely sick to the stomach.

"Um, just remember to be in bed soon. Okay, good bye!" she stated faster than a running hedgehog. With that, she ran down the hallway, the first time she ever actually bolted so fast down a professional building. Uni wanted to follow her so badly, but once she attempted to, her legs started to freeze up, and fear began to blanket her again. She started to grow angry at this weird twist of events, though within a minute, that anger was soon replaced with curiosity, along with a little bit of sadness. She soon found herself, once again, looking at the eye, its sapphire iris still piercing within the mystical room.

Her eyes were now wide open as the eye looked straight back at her, almost into her soul. The beautiful jewel inside casted her reflection on it, revealing the shock she currently held. _My mother? I… I don't have a mother, dammit! Goddesses don't have parents! What is wrong with Kei? _She thought, feeling as though she was successfully persuading herself, though this only caused her to grow even more curious. This was most definitely not helped by the fact that, when she looked up, she saw that painting again. The beautiful woman, looking just like her sister at an older age, was actually (now that she had the time to fully observe it) wearing an elegant dress with the colors of Lastation, her nation's flag right behind her. That flag was what began to throw her off. "Wait…that was our flag a long time ago!" She suddenly made the realization.

Unless the painter was bad at his or her job, that flag was definitely from when Uni was little. They retired it after… some reason she couldn't recall, and adopted their current one that still flies to this day. If that really is their old flag, then that can't be Noire in the future, nor could it be Uni. Hell, the few buildings in the background were not even standing anymore! With all of that, could the woman in the painting that the CPU and the Oracle oftened mention really be…

_M-My mom?_

She slowly backed away, the realization punching her in the stomach quite hard. It just couldn't be her mother. There was no way that could happen! Could CPU's even get pregnant? As far as Uni knew, it never occurred in history, with the only mention of it at all being in mythology, but that was Celestia herself impregnating a Goddess, not some strange dude that would be irrelevant in the end. It… no, it couldn't have happened! Uni, Noire, and every other Goddess and Candidate out there were just, er, "were", and have existed since the dawn of time. The Candidate was never younger than she is now, nor will she ever grow older in the future; thus, she couldn't have been born an infant, if she was even born at all.

Yet, as Uni stood in shock at the eye and photo, that creepy feeling returned to her spine, and she couldn't help but suddenly, though strangely, recall some form of events from long ago. "What the hell? What's going on?" she stated, placing a hand upon her head in confusion. For about ten full seconds, extremely hazy memories flooded against her brain at an alarming rate, and the Cadidate just couldn't process it all in such a short amount of time. She saw shadows randomly in the room, but before she could even contemplate what they were, they were replaced with even more shadows, growing more and more obscure as the time wore on. "Stop it! Why is this happening?" she yelled, placing both hands over her ears as she squatted down, trying to drown out a headache that was slowly creeping up on her.

Eventually, it all just stopped, and Uni was left alone in the Reading Room, the Heartmas Tree still retaining its everlasting beauty. She slowly opened her eyes once more, afraid that she'll see even more shadow-like figures, but all she saw was her own, with the fire behind her still cackling its much required heat. She stood now, shaken of course, and picked up her fallen handheld, her hands visibly shaking as she slowly began to walk towards the door. The time was now about 7:40, still early for her, but after all that, she really did not want to stay any longer. She'll be happy to come back in the morning to unwrap her presents, but for now, the room was like a haunted house bundled into a small area.

"'kay, never talk about this, and I think…" she was starting to say, until she bumped into something from within the doorway.

You should have seen how far she jumped, man. The room's height was pretty, uh, high, requiring three-and-a-half Noire's standing on top of one another to reach the ceiling, meaning there was no physical way anyone could just reach up there. Still, Uni defied my expectations, as she nearly touched the ceiling in fright, and when she came crashing back down, it was one of the biggest thuds ever heard; it was to the point that many of the Maidens and even Kei were about to check out what happened, though due to the Christmas songs on the radio (courtesy of 5pb.), they thought it was just the beat.

"Uh, Uni, what the hell are you doing?" Noire asked, who happened to walk by the Reading Room when her little sister started to have that freak-out. The Candidate of Lastation was face down on the red rug right in front fo the fireplace, an embarrassing predicament to be found in. Luckily, Noire was more disgruntled than amused, as she went over and picked Uni off the floor. "Okay, I'll ask again; Uni, what the hell are you doing?"

The Candidate's face turned quickly red as she ran to the window, not wanting Noire to see her like that. "Um, nothing. Y-You r-r-r-really got to stop sneaking up on people, you know that?" she yelled to her sister, though it came out quite adorable rather than angry. Noire sighed, shaking her head as she walked up to her sister. _Oh no, she's going to yell at me! Dammit girl, you wanted to avoid this! _She stated, realizing now that her day tomorrow would most likely be ruined.

However, against her own thoughts, all Noire did was place a delicate hand upon her shoulder, and when Uni looked her straight in the eyes, the CPU was not filled with scorn, but instead genuine concern. When a tsundere displayed that on her face, it was probably the real thing, which is why Uni allowed her tension to decrease.

"Uni, why were crouched down near the fire? You were blocking your ears…what's going on? Are you sick?" she asked, acting quite strange compared to what she normally would've done (_Get yourself together, Uni! Lastation Goddesses don't look weak!)_. To be honest, Uni wasn't expecting that from her sister, so by the time she did respond, her voice was noticeably shaky.

"U-U-Uh, well, um, eh, er… I don't k-k-know!" she stated, turning away from her sister as she folded her arms, puffing her cheek out as her eyes were now looking out the window. As the night took over, the clouds apparently rolled in as well, as snow began to blanket the ground below. It would have been quite the majestic sight had Uni not had this strange encounter with her sister.

"Uni…"

"What!"

"Hey, don't give me attitude! Jeez, just tell me what's wrong, already. Something's clearly wrong, and I swear I won't allow you out of this room until you tell me, got it?" Noire told, slowly returning to what she is often good at. Uni tried to keep her eyes off of her sister, but the CPU quickly turned her around, forcing her to look into the eyes of the devil herself. It was easy to say that Noire, while adorable in her own right by many peers, had quite the stare, one that could easily send a person down into the fiery pits of their own, twisted minds, or at least she could do that to her little sister.

It took a few minutes, but eventually, Uni did manage to find an excuse, though it wasn't the greatest. "I was just, uh, looking at the Heartmas Tree! Yeah, that's what I was doing! Nothing weird, nope!"

Of course, Noire already knew her sister was bad at lying, so she pressed on. "Okay, but why were you crouched down like someone was attacking you? Seriously, tell me the truth, _now_!" Noire yelled, her foot slamming onto the ground as her eyes grew much more intense. Uni gulped, fearing that this would escalate further. In the end, she managed to walk over to the tree, wondering what she could actually say. For a moment, she wanted to tell her sister that she struck one of the bulbs, and the ringing hurt her ears, but even she felt that that was completely idiotic.

"Uni!"

What could she say? For a moment, the Candidate herself forgot why she was in that position; no matter how hard she tried to remember. She knew that the picture and the eye would be good topic starter, but Noire would give her the same excuse as always, and even then, why would that freak her out? How could she forget such an important topic like this? Was her mind just suppressing whatever she encountered no more than 5 minutes ago? Was it truly traumatizing?

_Come on, it was important, too! Might as well try and tell her the truth, but what was it? Come on, girl, think now!_

_ My m-mother…_

It finally came back to her. As the eye watched the horrible feeling come back to Uni's spine, the Candidate finally looked Noire dead in the eyes again, making her older sibling surprisingly flinch. "Well, what is it? Come on, now, we don't have all night!"

The Candidate took a moment to regain her composure, and once she did, she stated in earnest, "Noire… do we have a mom?"

Noire's angry face quickly shifted back to concern, than befuddlement, and then finally concern once more. "A m-mother? Uni, what are you…"

"Noire, I know you probably don't know anything, but please just tell _me _the truth! Kei was in her before, and she said that…" with a twirl of her finger, she pointed directly towards the eye on the mantle, which was still trailing them, "…that _eye_ thing was an heirloom or something from our mother. Our _mother_, Noire! What did she mean by that?" the Candidate yelled. All of this was indeed geniune, as her eyes grew teary, and her voice was filled with emotion never before seen by her older sibling. Noire could only stare in surprise.

"We don't…Goddesses don't-"

Uni next pointed towards the portrait. "What about that, huh? That weird woman in the portrait? You keep saying you don't know, but you always shy away from it! Do you know something I don't? If you do, why don't I?" Uni said, almost breaking down into a full-on sob. The CPU stared at the painting on the wall, her emotions never changing as the Candidate pressed further. "Please…you're older than me, so you probably know if we do or not. Do we, or do we not, have a mother? Why would Kei just say that, and then run out in fright? Please, tell me something!"

Noire continued to look at the painting, her hands visibly shaking, though not from that of anger. Eventually, her head turned downwards, as though she suddenly passed out right there. Uni was still fuming with rage, her eyes still filled to the brim with tears, but as the Heartmas tree reached out to them in its Celestian glory, her face soon grew into a state of complete sadness. _What is she doing? I can accept a simple "I don't know" again! No… Noire and Kei keep shying away from this; they have to know something!_

"Can't believe you turned this argument against me. You really are my little sister," Noire stated with a hesitant laugh; it was clear that, if one listened as closely as possible, she was also beginning to cry. That had to mean she knew something about this.

"Please, Noire, tell me something. If you really don't know, that's fine, but please just tell me that! I'm…actually kind of scared right now," her little sister stated, the irate tone she once held now brought back within the confounds of her own mind. The anticipation was starting to hurt, though not as much as the strange feeling on her back, one that just wouldn't go away. Oddly enough, though her sister was indeed silent about it, she, too, was feeling a very similar amorality, and it honestly made her sick to the stomach; not of disease, but of oddly enough guilt. She didn't see those strange shadow things like the Candidate did, but she was close to it.

"Yeah…" Noire stated, almost as monotone as Kei normally was, "…we had a mother…"

Uni looked directly at her sister, her jaw dropping straight to the floor. The handheld in her hand fell to the floor, neglected as the Candidate's body started to shake. Did… did she just hear that? Did her older sister just confirm something that shouldn't have ever been confirmed? How did that even work? As far as Uni knew, Noire was the only CPU of her nation; everything else, she implied, was either made up, or just a part of basic mythology of the nation.

However, unbeknowst to Uni, Noire didn't even believe in her own words; they just sort of, you know, came out. Perhaps the CPU noticed her sister's ailment, and in worry said something completely stupid, or maybe Noire _did _know something about her mother, though she just didn't know it herself. In the end, that disturbed feeling on her back, which she hoped would have vanished after revealing this, only grew stronger, and at the corner of her eyes, she could've sworn that shadows were standing all around; some of little children, some of what appeared to be their parents.

The eye only looked amused.

"N-Noire…do we really…?"

At this point, she could have rectified what ever she just did, but for some reason, Noire couldn't help but continue on with the charade. One would think that she would have stopped this, in order to prevent her little sister from experiencing too much pain after realizing she had been duped, but in the end, it appeared that within the CPU's head, a similar problem that Uni experienced was beginning to brew. The Goddess knew that it was technically impossible for her, or her little sister, to have a parent, for that would be unethical to the Celestian Law they been following since the beginning of time. Hell, right there was a problem; as far as Noire remembered, she has been ruling Lastation since the _beginning _of time. How, then, could she possibly have a mother?

And yet, there was that lingering feeling that, somehow, she was missing something. For an odd reason, for maybe a second or two, she started to believe in herself that, deep within the mind, she really _did _have a mother. Perhaps she didn't rule Lastation since the beginning of time. That portrait on the wall clearly showed their flag from long ago, along with some buildings that were torn down years before, and now that Noire gave it some thought, she never did actually take away that flag; hell, like Uni, she barely remembered it. Can that really be her mother?

_I-I-It can't be…but Uni said Kei ran out of here randomly in fright, and she never did that. Wait, how long have I known Kei? Crap, how were we even introduced? What the hell is going on?_

The eye continued to look at them, as though mocking them, and all Noire could do was think of calling in Kei, though she eventually rejected that idea, knowing that the answer would either be "no" (contrary to what she said earlier), or a simple lecture of why they were still up during Heartmas eve, completely avoiding the subject altogether. Thus, the CPU was in her own hell, now believing in what her little sister believed; there was, somehow, a parent for both of them, something that, as far as she could remember, was technically impossible. Still, she said it, and now that she believed it, she couldn't go back to change her ways, for that would now mean she was lying to herself. Did she have any memories of her mother? Did she even remember her name? Probably not, but Noire still had to at least basically confirm the fact to her little sister.

"Yeah, Uni, I really think we _did_ have a mother…"

At first, the room went into a perpetual silence, the only noise being generated was the fire cackling and the silent hush of wind outside, as the snow fell carelessly down to the ground. The Heartmas tree, even with its beautiful light, could only warm their curiousities to a certain limit, before becoming obsolete to their needs. Suddenly, against all norms of what their current emotional state was, Uni broke the barrier and quickly grew, well, slightly happy. She still had the façade of sadness, but now there were plenty of emotions trying to come to her at the exact same time.

"Really? Do you remember at all, cause I don't! What was she like? What was her name? Did she rule before you? Is…is she still alive?" Uni suddenly barraged her elder sibling with a variety of questions. Each one bounced off of Noire's mind, as she completely had no idea what to really say. Everytime she _would've _said something, the Candidate would just throw in another question along the way, and throw the tsundere off once again.

"Uni, stop it! Like I just said, I _think_ we had a mother. Hell, it could be 'had' or 'have'; I really don't know!" The Goddess finally broke through the constant barrage of questions, trying to mask her own sadness as she did so. Her little sister did calm down with her curiosity, but she was still looking pretty anxious about it all. Did she remember anything? More than likely not. "Besides, I didn't really think about this until you brought it up, so give me some time! Jeez. What, do you remember anything?"

The little CPU Candidate was now looking at the eye again, which seemed to look straight back at her. "No, I don't. I think I'm too young, you know? Still, there has to be something! I've been feeling like there's something missing and all, and I'm dying to find out what!" Uni stated once more, getting extremely determined to the point of creeping out Noire. She had to admire her spirit, but in the end, was there anything to remember? If she can't even confirm her lineage, than what the point of trying to remember something about it?

Still, Uni was looking so high and mighty right now, and Noire would feel like a jerk if she just shattered her wishes. Yet, there was nothing she really could do besides lie; she started to have her doubts about the knowledge of her mother, but right now she wasn't having the same feeling here. No matter how hard she thought, nothing came through, and it was at this point that Noire felt it was okay to, just this once, probably lie a little; not much, but a little.

As Uni looked at the tree, the CPU of Lastation began to think of a story about her mother back in the day (she presumed), most likely during Heartmas. _Will Uni realize I'm lying. I mean, it's not like I make it a habit to lie, or anything! Still, she probably will get suspicious. Okay, just got to roll with it. I mean, who know's; maybe she'll buy it, and I might actually remember something really soon!_

"Wait," Noire finally said after a brief triade of silence. The Candidate looked at her, shocked somewhat over the sudden outburst. "I think, and don't quote me as saying a fact! I think I might be remembering something… yeah! I remember something, Uni! I really do!"

Noire felt that her fake realization was too forced, but even if it was, the look on the Candidate's face proved otherwise, as her eyes sparkled in delight. The CPU couldn't help but blush at this cute face, but she quickly held back that emotion. She didn't like lying to her little sister like this, but she didn't want her to go to bed, still curious over their mother, and probably get sad over it. She probably would've done that any other day of the year, but being that Heartmas was just around the corner, she felt it would be too much like a jackass move.

"Really, Noire? That's so awesome! What do you remember? What was she like? What was-"

"Jeez, Uni, calm down! Sit down over there, I'll…try and tell you about it, all right?" Noire interjected at the last moment, relieved that the questions were gone once more. Uni pouted, but did as she was told, sitting now once more on that relatively comfy sofa. With a sigh, the CPU followed her, the eye trailing every step she made. This ought to be good.

Once she made it to her little sister, she couldn't help but pet her head, making Uni understandably flinch in annoyance. Noire had no idea why she did that, though it was probably to make her feel much better over the fact that this was all coming from the top of her head. Why was she doing this again? Well, in full honesty, perhaps she wanted to believe it, too. She knew that it couldn't have actually happened, but when she thought of it, she really _did _want a mom, and maybe even a dad. Kei and Uni were of course her family, but she wanted the full package, if you know what I mean.

Anyways, let us listen to what Noire had say, all right?

"Okay, just don't hope around like that! It's making me nervous! Anyways, it's hard to see it, anyways, so don't fault me for being vague. All right, where do I… okay, got it! I remember, way back when I think you weren't even born yet (_she had no idea if that even worked, but she just went with it_), there was this person that was with me in this room. Yeah, this room in particular, but it wasn't decorated yet, so that must mean that it was either recently built, or we just moved here, or something. It's weird. Why would we move into our Basilicom?

"A-Anyways, She looked just like the woman in that picture, though I think her hair was more black, though that could just be the damn artist. Who drew that, anyways? Sorry for getting sidetrack-you're listening, right? Okay, good. So, where was… okay, we were in this room, and…yeah, it was Heartmas, because I remember that tree! Yeah, it was in the same position, though I think it was much taller, and we actually used candles for lights. It was snowing, too, just in case you were wondering.

"It had to be one of the first Heartmas's I had ever celebrated at the time, so I remember actually being very confused. What was I, like, 4, at least in Goddess years? Can I even age? Man, I confused mys- don't you dare laugh! Anyways, she was actually…pretty warm, you know? I remember that she lead me into the room by the hand, and her smile was just so, you know, beautiful, and…"

As Noire told her made-up story, that guilty feeling from within actually began to vanish, for every word that she did speak ended up awakening something deep within her mind. It was gradual at first, but once she started mentioning the warmth her mother seemed to have, the more memories began to flood back in; were they actually memories, or were they just being made now to her on the spot? Either way, it made the CPU's deposition much more relaxed, and though she acted somewhat annoyed when she first began telling her tale, she now began to feel sad, and her expression soon turned into a painful smile, with her voice started to shake. It made Uni only want to listen more.

"…she had a beautiful voice, and I remember when we walked into this Reading Room, she told me all about that bookshelf over there. I think that red one was the one she always read, if I remember correctly. Of course, being young at the time, my only focus was on that great tree in the corner of the room. I guess she noticed it, or something, so she, you know, bent down and stroked my hair. I always hated when people like Neptune did it, but with her, I felt at ease. I guess mothers are just inclined to do that, huh?

"I think I asked what that tree was, and I distinctly remember her holding my hand again, and telling me to place my other one on any branch. When she did, she… she… she told me that it was all the happiness of the year, all there in our room. It was all the good things that happened, between me, her, and everyone in our nation. And I remember just, you know, me practically petting a random branch, and she stood over me, smiling, and I think I smiled, too."

Once more, every word made her actually believe that all of this really happened. Now, she could visualize her mother there with her during that day, and with the mentioning of her holding her hand, the Goddess could feel the touch of her mother once again. It felt, you know, welcoming. Even though it wasn't necessary, she felt safe with that feeling, and her mind begged her to continue. Even Uni was still listening intently, with her own face starting to grow sad, though it might have been happiness being held back.

With a gulp, Noire continued.

"God, she… I loved her, you know? But, for some reason, I grew kind of frightened of that tree. No idea why, but I guess something either jumped at me, or maybe I scratched myself, or… I don't know, it's not important. Well, when my…_our_ mom saw this, she smiled once more, and petted my hair again. I remember that she said, and let me try to emulate her voice: 'Noire, you don't have to be afraid. This tree may look like the ones outside, but this one holds a beautiful purpose. If…If you ever feel scared during this season, and I can't be there to be with you, then this room will help you. The happiness of the year will protect you, through any darkness that dares exist.'

"Heh, and I remember saying that I wanted her to be with me at all times. God, I miss childhood (_she was now just accepting that she was probably a child. These memories were too vivid to be made up)_. Then, hearing me say that, she looked me straight in the eyes, and don't let that picture fool you. She has a threatening look there, but that's a bad reflection of her. Those eyes were striking, but they gave off a sense of protection, as though I was the most precious thing in the world.

"A-And she told me that, no matter what, she'll…she'll always…be there…"

And that was when Noire broke down. It caught Uni by surprise, for the CPU didn't even warn about it. There was no sniffling before hand, no sudden change in emotion (the change from annoyance to slight sadness was there, but it wasn't extremely quick like this was), and as far as the Candidate was concerned, her older sister was enjoying this recalled memory. Now, she was on her knees, crying in front of tree, while the eye on the mantle appeared to look down upon her. Her little sister quickly got out of her seat to comfort her.

"Noire! What happened? Please, tell me something!" Uni begged, both caring for her sister, though she really wanted to hear more about her recently discovered mother. It was rude, yes, but she just couldn't help but get all excited over new things. Still, her sister randomly broke down, and knowing her, that is usually never a good thing. Even when embarrassing things _did _happen, or whenever she got hurt, all Noire would do is just go all tsundere on whatever person was there, and hide her feelings inside.

Eventually, Noire looked up at her sister, a rather forced smile upon her lips. "I'm sorry, Uni, but please don't look at me like this. It's just… I really miss her," she finally said, before going back into uncontrollable sobs. Unknown to the Candidate, deep within the Goddess's mind, after she said how her mother would always be there, every single memory that was bottled up for an undisclosed reason suddenly came back to her. That memory she supposedly made up, which was made corny on purpose, actually _did _occur, and now that she realized it, everything decided to come back all at once.

She remembered her mother's laugh, their time together, going to those boring meetings with the other former CPU's (which now Noire actually kind of enjoys doing), watching the snow fall in the winter, along with the leaves returning in the spring; it all just came back. She remembered Uni being born (though, as far as pregnancy is concerned, the CPU never recalled ever seeing her mother pregnant, and all she remembered of Uni's birth was a bright light and happiness), and remembered meeting Kei for the first time; she remembered this scene, of course, and she also remembered…

…well, she remembered her mom passing away, with Noire holding Uni by her side.

That was it, unfortunately. She didn't remember every little thing, but it was enough to make her cry. That sight of her mother and the Heartmas Tree, followed maybe a year or two later by her in the death bed, was just to much. Did she die on Heartmas? It would be too poetic, but she wouldn't doubt it. Uni still remained oblivious to all these memories; perhaps she really was too young to really remember anything. Why, though? Why did they have a hard time remembering in the first place? It's their own mother, for pete's sake! What happened that made them forget? Unfortunately, that was a mystery for another day, for this story would only go just a bit farther.

As Noire remembered everything and Uni stood scared, Kei watched them from the doorway, looking surprisingly sad for a person of little emotion. To be honest, out of all three of them, the Oracle probably remembered the most, though even she had a problem recalling. She _did_, however, know _why _they couldn't remember a thing, though once more, it was a mystery for another day. For now, she only shrugged, and as the scene unfolded, she decided to walk away. She knew the former CPU quite well, and though she never spoke about it, it always pained her that she was forced to not remember much. In the end, she went back to the kitchen room, in order to make sure nothing bad had occurred.

"Noire, please tell me something! You're really scaring me now!" Uni shouted once more, now starting to somewhat shove her older sister, though it was more of a helpful gesture than rude. Soon, her older sibling looked at her straight in the eye, tears still running down her face. "N-Noire…"

In an instant, the CPU of Lastation stood up, tears still coming through, but it seemed that she at least attempted to show pride now. "I'm sorry about that, Uni," she said, before petting her little sister once more (this time, she didn't flinch in annoyance). "If…I know you probably don't remember much, but…I'll tell you this," she began, taking a deep breath in order to force the tears back, "she loved you a lot. You…you would have loved her. I know I did," Noire said, her face filled with heavenly joy that only the season could ever bring out. The Candidate was stunned by this honest answer; there was no hesitation within her sister's voice.

For about a minute, the two of them remained silent, the wind outside and the cackling of fire and Noire's sniffling were the only sounds filling the ambience. "Wow…" Uni slowly stated, her own eyes about to fill tears. They weren't of complete sadness, mind you, but due to the fact that she couldn't remember much of her own mother (she probably could if she truly attempted to try), they were coming instead from sheer guilt.

"Is…," Uni began to ask, "…is she still alive?"

Noire looked at her once more, her smile growing painful once more. She quickly turned away and looked up at the mighty Heartmas tree. The star on top rang a peaceful melody throughout the cold, night air, and the bulbs surrounding each branch shined a beautiful aura.

_…and I can't be there with you…The happiness of the year will protect you…_

_ Maybe you were right after all, Mom…_

"Uni…heh, do you think I'm doing a good job? You know, as a Goddess? Do you… do you think she's proud of me?" Noire suddenly asked, her hand now on the tree, the beautiful light encapsulating her within its touch.

The Candidate was slighty vexed that her elder sibling jumped around her question, but the one she instead supplied in the conversation was quite the heavy one indeed. "W-What? Where did that come from? Of course you're doing a good job! Probably the best anyone could!" Uni stated, her face filled with blatant determination. She still wished she could fully picture her mother (not counting the one above the fireplace; she wanted an image that was filled with life) in order to grasp her sister's sudden dilemma, but her weary mind just wouldn't allow it. "There's no other way of looking around it; you're definitely a great leader, Noire. A great one! I wish I could actually see our mom in my head, but whatever she thought of you, you…you went above and beyond, you got that? Really, I…if you are doing a bad job, than I have to be the worst Candidate in the world! I know I can do so much better, but I know for a fact that I'm not the worst. Not by a long shot!"

With every word she spoke, the CPU only grew more misty-eyed. Her little sister, who struggled to even begin imagining her mother's life, was standing there, singing her own sister some pretty praises. All the while, as the eye continued to watch them, the Heartmas tree began to feel warm, as though it had its own heart beating within its mighty boughs. For some reason, Noire, who came in to help the ailing Candidate of Lastation, was now role-reversed, and was now playing the sobbing, confused little girl. Still, inbetween those sobs, she felt happiness within her soul, one that could never be matched.

"T-T-hank you, Uni. You don't know how much that means to me."

The Candidate quickly grew embarrassed, and sheepishly looked to the wooden floor, which still rang an orangish hue from the now-dying flames. "Well, you know. Come on, you don't have to phrase it like that," she said, rubbing the back of her head, secretly enjoying her sister's thanks. Still, this petty distraction did not make her forget that lingering question. "Still, Noire, please answer my question. I'm sorry if I'm asking too much, but is she…you know, still alive? C-Can I still meet her?"

After all the grand feelings she had experienced, the feeling of guilt soon plagued the CPU's mind once more. Her little sister, curious as ever, was now asking a question that, should she know the answer, would only break her heart. It was hard to completely recall, but Noire still remembered her mother on that bed, the snow falling as a faint, orange light creeped through the dark room (her mother, she presumed, liked the dark serenity at the moment), making everything just feel so surreal. At this point, the Goddess wanted to conclude that it had to be Heartmas at the time, or at least very close to it, for she distinctly remembered the mood whiplash during that period. For a moment, she was a perfectly happy early-teenager, and then in the next, she couldn't hold back her tears, her little sister only confused beside her.

For many years, the former CPU of Lastation had hid that disease of hers, probably since before Noire was even born upon this land. After fighting the stress of ruling the nation, as well as raising her children, her body finally gave in, and she became bed-ridden for a month, leading directly to her death. Kei was the only one that knew about it, being told by the CPU herself to never speak to anyone about it (for fear of scaring Noire and Uni), as well as being told to never seek out medical treatment. It was during that long and painful month that the Oracle broke her stoic nature, and was barely seen as she could only wait for her friend to die.

She remembered holding Uni's hand in one of hers, and her mother's in the other. It would only be five hours before her mother never opened those eyes again. It took awhile, but the media had discovered the fact of her sickness, and the nation began to cry. The other Goddesses of the time quickly sent consolation to her, in the hopes that she would die in a peaceful manner, and ensure that her nation remain as prosperous as ever. Noire, even at her age (she would only age a few more times before Godly Reckoning (the act of Goddesses stopping the aging process) kicked in), did not really understand what was happening, though one thing was for certain; her mom would never leave that bed alive. For some reason, the current Goddess never cried during that moment, though her confusion probably blocked her emotions.

"Remember, Noire," the Former Goddess said, "I might be leaving soon, dear, but never think that I will ever abandon you. It may be hard now, but life will get better. Kei will be the leader for now, but I… I know you will be a grand leader. When the time comes for you to step forward, I know you will do so with the pride of Lastation."

All Noire remembered doing was nod, the emotions probably starting to finally sink in.

"Take care of Uni, Noire. I…I will always love you, no matter what."

That was the last thing her mother said before lapsing into unconciousness. Kei noticed this, and quickly lead the two sisters out; she soon returned and held her friend's hand as it slowly went cold, a night that Oracle could never forget, even when everyone else did. It was the final memory Noire ever had of her mother.

And now Uni, her dear sister who is just as curious as she is, wanted to know her fate. What could the CPU even say about it? That their beloved mother was dead? The Candidate was probably willing to hear anything at this point, but hearing that she died would only make her that much more sad, and on such a night like this, that was certainly something that couldn't, nor shouldn't, happen. Simply put, all Noire could think of doing was lie.

"I…I don't know, Uni. I can't say for sure, but…wherever she is, she's probably happy."

The Candidate could only shake her head, accepting the answer, though wishing it was much more definitive. The Goddess feared that her little sister would still be concerned about it all, but in the end, as the fire drew its last breath, all the Candidate did was join her sister in placing a hand on the golden tree.

"I guess you're right. Still, I wish I could meet her. Again, I mean. I really want to know her," Uni said, her tone not filled with sadness or hesitance, but instead with reassurance. Noire shook her head as well.

"Me too, Uni. Me too."

The two of them stood in silence for quite some time. The hour drew to a close, as the clock soon approached nearly 9:00 PM, way past the time they should have been in bed. Noire finally realized this grave mistake, and quietly let out a profanity, hoping her little sister didn't hear it (she totally did). "Uh, little sis, how long have we been in here?" Uni quickly looked at her handheld, realized it wasn't in her hand, quickly scrambled to the ground in order to pick up, looked at the timestamp, and hesitantly showed it to her elder.

"Ugh…jeez, I can't believe you kept me in here _that _long! You know Kei will kill us if she saw we're still here, right?" Noire said, a hand now laid across her face. The Candidate chuckled, both at the strange timing, and for the fact that while her sister was returning back to her classic ways, she still had that emotion-filled face that just looked so damn adorable. Uni should still feel frightened by its apparent intimidation, but she could only smile in respect.

"Sorry about that. Just got really curious. And…hey, don't pin this all on me! You were the one with the stories to share!"

After about a minute or so of bickering, the two sisters concluded that, in the end, they should really go to bed. With the fire out and the snow falling perfectly down to the ground, only the Heartmas tree remained to shined its dazzling glory. The two girls did a small prayer in front of it, as it was a mere tradition to do so, and began to head off into the hall. However, just before they reached the doorway, Uni soon remembered what had to be the question that started it all.

"Sorry to bring this up again, Noire, but do you know about this eye at all? Kei said it was an heirloom. Any memories at all, or something?" the Candidate asked, having to squint her eyes in order to see the golden eye, thanks to the diminished lighting. The CPU sighed, really now wanting to go to bed after giving off that emotional scene, though she, too, was pretty damn curious about it.

In the end thoug, after all of those scenes, not one showed that eye. No matter how many times she stepped into this very room, there was never a single instance where that eye was present. Was it completely after her death? Did Kei make it for her? Was it made a long time ago, and only presented once she left this plane of existence? There was just no answer for it. This time, Noire didn't have to lie in order to get her point across.

"I don't know, Uni. Seems pretty strange to just have, but who knows. I only remember some things about her, not everything, so I got nothing," she stated with complete confidence. The Candidate felt downtrodden by this, though she did nod. Noire picked up on this change of mood, and though she was just yelling at her sister not too long ago, she felt she had to do something in order to get both of them into bed with smiles across their faces. "I'll tell you what. After we get our gifts and have that big party, we'll talk to Kei about it. I know she'll try to get out of it, but I think she'll be more than happy to tell us tomorrow. Even if it's small, its better than nothing."

Uni's eyes lit up as bright as the star on top of that tree. "Okay, it's a deal! I know she knows something! I can't wait to learn more. Man, I never been this excited!" she said, jumping up and down in joy. Noire was ready to get angry again and yell for the Candidate to stop that, but due to the mood, she only chuckled to herself.

"All right, settle down already! Come on, let's go."

With that, the two of them finally left the reading room as the snow fell even heavier. The only light that remained was coming from the tree, which continued to grow brighter and brighter as the night continued on, with the Santa-Tome getting ready to deliver the presents for all the good little children. It was such an emotional scene in that room, but in the end, it surprisingly ended pretty happy. Perhaps that was just the power of the season, though I digress.

Still on the mantle, within that glass case, the eye continued to look forward. If one looked closely, they could see that, right around the bottom eyelid, a tear had form; not out of sadness, but instead out of joy.


	2. Remembering The Fallen

Memory 2: Remembering the Fallen

As the Lastation sisters remembered their own family line, over in Planeptune, everything appeared rather tame that eve. The snow began falling that evening as the denizens of the Basilicom prepared for the eventful day coming up. The Heartmas tree was lit, the banquet preparation were almost ready, and the majority of the problems the nation faced that year were (surprisingly) resolved. It seemed that this year, everything will be perfect. Hell, even the studious Histoire was feeling the joy of the holiday!

Inside the personal parlor (located somewhere on the first floor, apparently; yeah, these buildings apparently have floors. Go figure), the CPU of the land, deemed Neptune by herself or something, was busy on the reclining sofa, a controller in one hand, and…no, both hands are on the controller. Apparently, she managed to snag herself a Lastation console a few months back, and was now delighting herself to its exotic nature; it was apparently about a man and a little girl going about a strange world that was hit by a "fungal apocalypse," where the man is supposedly becoming a father figure to her, though of course he attempts to hide that fact. Pretty strange game, but that's why it's from Lastation and not here. The Goddess knew that Heartmas will be tomorrow, so she had to make sure this game was completed right away.

"Come on, you nasty things…what? What do you mean I was spotted? Damn, no…no…ah, I hate one-hit kills!"

She accidentally chose the second hardest difficulty (the hardest was locked out), so she was forced to be extra careful during her run through abandoned areas, and let me tell you, Neptune is excellent at many games, but games requiring a ton of patience are just not her specialty. It's a wonder why she was playing this at all to begin with; probably to prove to someone that she _did _have the patience to complete a stealth-like game (it was probably Noire).

She attempted the part once more, but unfortunately, she was met with the same fate, as the strange, fungus-ridden zombies grabbed the main male lead, and disturbingly (with all the detail necessary) displayed his neck being essentially chewed off. Neptune didn't really care for the violence, however; she instead was filled with rage at this annoying part, and threw the exotic controller to the ground, creating a rather loud "clang" noise. It was enough to attract the floating Oracle to her.

"Neptune, what is going on in here? For the past five minutes, I hear a poor person screaming, your screams of rage, and now something hitting the ground. Please, try to be more civilized!" Histoire scolded her, looking at the scene in shock. She soon ventured towards the screen, which was not paused by the Goddess before the controller was thrown, mind you, and felt appalled by the graphic violence occurring; was it really necessary to see his whole face in detail get caved in by a humongous monstrosity? It just wasn't in the tome's tastes.

"Sorry about that, Histy. Just getting all pumped up to beat this game before sundown!" Neptune replied, though she knew that the thrown controller would most likely generate some form of confusion, though at this point she didn't really care. She started to believe that her goal was technically infeasible (seriously, half of those deaths were cheap!), but that simply won't stop her.

The floating Tome shook her head, and turned away back towards the door. "I understand, but please show respect to others in this building, and I better not catch you up at midnight like last time, got it?" Histoire yelled, her face actually looking completely terrifying, so much so that the CPU of Planeptune couldn't help but flinch.

"Hey, you can count on me! This game will be done in a flash!" she stated with a random salute. Histoire rolled her eyes, and soon found herself once more in the hallway, hoping that Neptune _did _finish all the work necessary on her part. Let's all just hope for the best this time. Anyways, the purple-haired woman picked the controller back up, and soon her face contorted into rage once more, as she struggled to get through that damn part. I guess what they say is true; you can play another nation's game, but you can _never _beat it on hard.

After a while, she miraculously won, and managed to get out of that horrible room. She drew a heavy sigh of relief as a cut-scene played; she actually vowed to skip all of these cinematics in order to guarantee the game is done quickly, but for this one, she felt that she deserved the breather. It was quite the long one, so she at least had the time to pat herself on the back.

_Hm, maybe I should call Noire. She said I couldn't beat that part…love to hear her angry reac-_

As she said this, the cut-scene suddenly took a turn for the worse. Somehow, and in some way, there was a little mishap during the previous scene, and the kid was now one of those evil creatures. Our main character had no other choice on how to handle this situation. There were plenty of death scenes throughout the game, especially at the beginning, but for some reason, she couldn't help but keep her eyes focused throughout the duration. It all happened so suddenly, and in the end, the screen just went to black, and the months passed, and in the end, it was like that death was just a memory. That was it; kid gets shot, initial surprise, and then they just moved on with their lives. Was this what Lastation normally produced for their console?

Not a single soul on this measly planet could honestly tell you if Neptune was ever this involved with a game, but no matter what the answer was, she was _deeply _impacted by that scene from nowhere, or at least that is what it looked like at face value. She continued to play, mind you, but for some reason, she didn't raise her voice again, nor did she actually say anything at all; even when she died either legitely or, in her head, cheaply, she didn't even raise a fuss about it. Histoire, who was still floating around, making sure everything was ready for the next day, actually grew concerned that her Goddess was now sleeping in the same room with the Heartmas tree. Still, she felt that maybe Nepgear would realize her sister's error, and hopefully correct it by midnight.

Though she wanted to skip every cutscene, she now watched them all with great respect, not caring that the clock was simply ticking away. It was now approaching 7:30 at night, and if she wanted to beat this game, she would have to make it double time. For some reason, though, she didn't bother doing that. Instead, she just kept on watching and playing, as though there really wasn't anything to rush for. It was completely unlike her, of course.

Nearby, standing in the corner with glorious might, was none other than the Heartmas Tree itself, decked out in all sorts of purple shades ever imagined by a simple Maker. It's lights brightened up the scene, with the room occasionally being baked in red, green, the obligatory purple, and sometimes even the illumination of white, all adoring the fine abode with the Holiday's greeting. Neptune was the one who picked this beautiful creature when they got it about two months ago (never hurts to be prepared), and helped Nepgear place that grand star right at the top, a perfect sense of sisterly hood as the room became enlightened with the season. Just by looking at it would cause one to be filled with overwhelming glee.

Yet, the CPU of Planeptune was far from feeling quite happy. In a few short minutes, she went from being slightly aggravated by the game's difficulty, to feeling melancholic over such a simple scene that, in full honesty with her character, would probably go neglected with time. Why was she so troubled by that one scene? She already knew they weren't going to make it, so why was she so sad for seeing a small kid just die like that, free from the Armageddon but never to breath in the air of life again?

Well, folks, might as well go back in time here. I know this story is all about the wonderful scenes that occur within the bounds of Heartmas, but in order to understand what is about to happen, we all must observe how one small scene could cause even the happy-go-lucky Neptune to become ill with depression. It is quite the scene, and it all happened between Gamindustri's equivalents of April to July.

You see, during the spring of this year, Neptune was busy frolicking about her Nation's Capital. She always enjoyed the beauty of the warmth, the grandness of life being restored, and of course, the ability to play all those new releases, just waiting for the Fiscal Year to finally end. In fact, that was why she was outside on this day; she wanted to get to that newly open game store and quickly buy "Sharp Blacksmith: Bandits in a Time Machine" before it was all sold out (unfortunately for her, there was no special discount for being a Goddess). Like the game she would be playing on Heartmas Eve, it was another import from Lastation, and was quite the popular one already, and she desperately needed to get her hands on it.

Unfortunately, once she got to the store, her worst nightmare had come true; the big, red banner on the window told her that all hope was lost. "Barnacles…how the heck did everyone get it so…man, there's go my day!" Neptune said in disgust, quietly turning around as she walked away in a sulking position. "Next time, I'm staying up to midnight! I'll just, I don't know, tell Histy I'm going to the store, or something. Nah, can't lie to her like that! That's just uncool."

As she was walking down the sidewalk, she soon began to hear some horrific sounds. At first, she thought it was a far-off television, where somebody had the volume up too high, and accidentally left the window open, causing whatever hell he enjoyed watching to simply leak out onto the streets below. It made Neptune chuckle at first, but she soon realized that it couldn't have been that. The sound soon grew to be much more human than earlier let on, and it made the CPU quite tense. Still, she decided to play it cool, and just walk on without so much as a worry. "Probably a domestic dispute. Shouldn't be a problem…jeez, why do I feel like a jerk all of a sudden?"

Suddenly, the sound grew even more horrific, and Neptune soon discovered that one of the voices in the distance was none other than a little boy. Along with his apparently terrified screams was the sound of a sickening "whoop," which played almost constantly and consistently. "What in the hey?" the Goddess stated, suddenly picking up speed; not to get home any time quicker (and most likely face an angry Histoire), but instead to investigate this bizarre scenario. I mean, it was her nation after all; no sense in trying to resolve any conflict (which made her feel even more of a jerk for attempting to brush off the domestic violence idea).

After walking down past a local supermarket, the sounds became more clearer down an elongated alleyway, where the young child's screams turned more into fear and pain. The "whooping" sound was much more strange, and now more voices joined the fray. _Woah, is somebody getting beat on? What the heck? _Neptune stated within her head, honestly never actually encountering a full-on beating before, at least not in her nation. At first, she was probably just going to simply see what's up, pretend to be a police officer, and break up whatever the conflict was about. Simple as that. Unfortunately, she soon remembered one of the sounds. Her eyes turned bloodshot as she quickly peered down the alley.

_Oh…hell…no…_

You must all understand that Neptune had many pet peeves apart from work and the loss of pudding privileges. Aside from losing the chance to snag the latest game, she also hated the mere act of _anything bad _happening to a child, and do I mean _anything_. Discipline was one thing, but something as horrendous as what she encountered down that alley was just not tolerable in the slightest. She wasn't always like this, to tell you the truth, only really developing the hatred probably around the time Ram and Rom were in danger by ASIC. This burning hatred was something even she was afraid of, but it was warranted over a variety of things, and after seeing this helpless boy, being punched almost to the brink of death by what appeared to be four muscular dudes, her mind was sent a-cinder.

_Okay, that's it. No more nice CPU…_

She quickly ran down the path, getting prepared to transform at the slightest hint of provocation. She saw the terror in the boys eyes, and she couldn't help but grow even angrier; who knows what caused these men to do something this terrible, but right now, Neptune wasn't looking for any excuse. Perhaps they were actually filming a strange thriller, and the boy was actually not being hurt at all, though the Goddess wasn't fooled by that delusion; those screams were definitely genuine.

"Yo, how about you stop doing that!" Neptune shouted, her face filled with the most anger anyone had ever seen on her. The four goons would have normally just ignored anything outside of this small bout, but once one of them actually saw who was calling them out, all four of them soon began to laugh. The boy was relinquished from his stomping hell, still crying in horrifying pain as the four men soon formed a barrier in front of him.

"Look at this, guys! A small, prepubescent-looking chick just vying to be beat! Ha, why don't you run home to mommy, little girl!"

"Heh, look! She actually has purple-hair! Please kid, I wouldn't want to bash that pretty face in!"

"I don't know guys, she looks actually kinda old, you know? Like, 'legal'-old. Who knows, maybe-"

The fourth goon, who looked like their leader, quickly slapped them all across the face. "What the hell are you buffoons rambling on about? This girl is distracting us! Come on, follow my lead," he said, eying the young child with a hint of malice; the boy only shriveled up in fright. The man quickly snatched up a pipe laying precariously on the ground, while the other three pulled out what appeared to be switch knifes. This was clearly getting risky, but even then, Neptune didn't even shake.

"So, you think it's just okay to beat on children, huh? Now you want me hurt! What nerve!"

The men didn't realize it, but underneath the shoes of Neptune, a blue, spinning disc quickly appeared, and the wind started to pick up. People outside the alley surprisingly kept walking, not bothering to look at the scene whatsoever (IF, who was walking around at the time, could have sworn she saw her friend, but she knew that the Goddess wouldn't ever step in an alleyway for no reason). By the time they _did _see it, time simply left their side and joined Neptune's.

She began to hover, and in an instant, her small frame vanished, replaced now by a taller, rather "well-endowed" variation of herself. Her eyes displayed the royal insignia of a CPU, and the air around her quickly became a purple aura. The guys quickly fell on their backs, their weapons thrown across the alley, while the boy began to attempt to crawl away. The CPU of Planeptune, Lady Purple Heart, had finally arrived at the scene, and she was clearly not happy.

"So, I raise my nation to be kind and respectful, and what do I get? Four simpletons who simply believe that beating on a child, for whatever the reson, is the correct way to go. Do you ever look in a mirror and see how terrible you lot truly are?" Lady Purple stated with quite the serious tone, making the men back off in fright, a few screams coming out from them.

"I-I-I-t's Lady Purple Heart! What the hell, man?"

The rest of the goons were also boggled out of their minds, their faces clearly pale, knowing that angering a Goddess was the last thing anyone ever wanted to do. "Please spare us! We-We didn't mean it! Yeah, not in the slightest! Oh god, please don't kill us!"

The Goddess gave a look of amusement, before frowning once more. "If you truly value your lives, since you clearly don't value that kid's, I would recommend running as far away as humanly possible, and never even dare step foot in this portion of the city again. Do I make myself clear? If, and do I mean 'If', I ever find out that any of you are targeting this child, or any child for that matter once more, I will not even _attempt _to show mercy. Now, I would suggest running before I think otherwise."

Three of the men looked stunned at the CPU, always believing she was the kindest of the lot, though now it seemed she was just like Plutia of the other Dimension (though even then, she at least made a chuckling face), willing to hurt those that do wrong for the benefit of absolutely nothing. They just didn't realize that Neptune just seriously hated the abuse of children. I guess they never put those in the History books, if those even exist in Gamindustri.

Eventually, those same three men all ran the opposite direction of the Goddess, running as far as their hearts allowed. One even made a "whoop whoop whoop" sound constantly as he attempted to save his own skin. In the end, the boy continued to look scared as one guy still remained, still attempting to hold that old, rusty pipe, though it was clear that he was scared out of his mind; he probably knew that he was completely screwed. God, thank everything that he wasn't wearing white pants that day!

"Why are you still here? I'll be honest, causing harm to people isn't my thing, but scum like you are definitely exceptions. Tell me, do you really want to be hurt? I'll do twice the amount of damage you caused that poor kid, maybe even three times," Lady Purple Heart stated, her voice growing more and more monotone, indicating that her sword was ready to slice through anything, even if it was Maker-flesh. She prepared her weapon above her head, and her eyes quickly turned to a death-glare, the purplish aura around her starting to build up in intensity. This was certainly going to be good. The kid could only cover his eyes.

Yet, the man didn't budge; he was definitely clammy, but not hesitant. "You know what, screw you! You're just a tyrant! I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, and I don't need to listen to you! If I want to beat up a kid, I'll beat up a kid. What are you going to do about it?" He said, though his tough-guy voice began to weaken to almost a whimper, his eyes tearing up from fear. Still, you got to him props for still showing some courage, something his allies definitely lacked. Lady Purple Heart sighed, and she suddenly brought on a sickening grin. That's not a good sign for mister goon.

"Well, if you keep pressing me like this, you'll find out what I will do."

The man's eyes began to twitch; he knew that if he did anything to provoke her, he would most definitely die. So, everyone, what do you think he did? Why, of course, he decided to charge her. "S-Screw you!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, running pretty fast towards the freaking CPU of Planeptune. People outside the alley finally started to look, though they weren't at all afraid for Neptune's life; she was the Goddess, and the man was a Maker. It's like a sloth versus a very hungry cheetah, I think.

The boy grew even more afraid, hoping that this would all end. His whole body was reaked in pain, and if a doctor was present at the scene, they could probably note all the injuries he had sustained from all of those blows, but unfortunately that would be neglected for the time being. All he could now was watch in horror as two people fought for either his safety or demise.

The man did put up a valiant effort, as he did make it Lady Purple Heart, though unluckily for him, she didn't even need to break a sweat. She just swung her sword once, making sure it was pivoted enough to avoid actually hurting him significantly (she wanted him alive, anyways), and all that had occurred was the man being sent completely towards a building far off, smashing into the roof. He didn't have the time to scream out in pain, or even attempt to call for help; he was done in a matter of seconds. The people outside simply clapped and cheered for about a minute, and then continued to walk along the city streets, as if this was just a normal occurrence.

After that was done, Lady Purple Heart quickly transformed back into her Neptune persona, flexing her arms a bit. "Man, that was a workout, and I didn't even do much! Heh, I guess it pays to be a Goddess," Neptune cooed as she rubbed the back of her head, the windy aura around her finally dissipating as the boy grew even more scared. This finally reawakened the CPU, who quickly switched her smile to a concerned frown. In a matter of milliseconds, she was now next to the young boy, trying to place a delicate hand upon his shoulder, though he continuously shrugged it away. "Hey, you don't have to be afraid! Relax, Mamma Neppy got it all covered!"

She eventually did reach the boy's shoulder, and calmly caressed it as he continued to sob. She was able to finally get a closer look at him, and with every turn of her eye, she could grimace even more. As far as she knew, the boy was only battered by the heavy boots of those terrible gents, but from what she observed, this was clearly more than just that. He was cut and bruised on almost every part exposed on his body, with many more likely concealed under his dirty clothes. To tell you the truth, he probably wouldn't have looked well if he wasn't beaten, for the dirt covering his face and clothing was clearly deeply embedded, as though he was never washed since the day he was born. It was just a disturbing, miserable sight.

"Are you all right? Please, don't be afraid. I want nothing more than to make sure you are safe!" Neptune stated, patting her chest as though she was the lea-oh yeah, she is. However, if one listened to her voice as carefully as possible, one could decipher a sudden feeling of nurturing, as though a hidden, motherly instinct kicked in within her small abode. It was quite amazing to witness if it truly happened, considering her personality, but truly, anyone would probably feel like this after witnessing such a horrific scene unfold. "Please, at least tell me your name. I can help you more if you told me. Relax; I'm not going to hurt you."

Sadly, though her voice quickly grew calmer and calmer, the boy's injuries were just too much, and he couldn't stop crying. The CPU knew that she was getting nowhere fast, and started to contemplate just calling for help, just to make sure these injuries weren't fatal in the end, but for some reason, she felt hesitant to do that. Perhaps it was the thought of disappoint, knowing that if she couldn't prevent this as a leader, she was a terrible, living creature, or maybe it was a sense of concern preventing her, for not knowing anything about the kid did freak her out. In the end, though, she really did want that name, and she continued to caress his shoulder. _Poor kid. Those baddies will get what's coming to them. You can bet on the power of Purple for that one!_

As she was thinking this, a miraculous thing had occurred. She didn't notice it, but at some point, the boy managed to stand up, and once she did notice this sudden change of events, he was already booking off to the distance, his gait quite haphazard as his legs were desperately trying to prevent him from going any further. "Wha…? H-Hey wait, little buddy! Come on, don't run away! I'll…I'll give you pudding if you come back…" she started to randomly bribe, though unfortunately, she was unsuccessful in her endeavors. She soon stood as well, and attempted chase of the boy, but by the time she made it to the streets, he was lost in the crowd, and no matter how hard she looked, she just couldn't locate the dirt-covered child. With a snap of the fingers, she quickly said "drat!" though unlike her usual self, it was not in a style of sarcasm or belated joy, but instead in a genuine, completely concerned tone. If Histoire, Nepgear, or any of her Maker friends were present, they would have been all surprised.

In the end, she still did call for help (to avoid any press leakage, she managed to disguise her identity; she was surprisingly good at that), and eventually caused the only caught criminal to capitulate under the court of law, thus ending a quarter of the current situation. The Police were the ones that did it, but Neptune still watched, laughing evilly, knowing that the horrible scumbag that was that man will never walk down this street again (well, I mean, there are civil court things that could level that, but Neptune would do whatever she could to do something bad to that man. Sorry, she would say, but it was a personal thing). Once more, the officers that responded to her anonymous call had no idea she had anything to do with this, so as commotion raged on the streets, she managed to sneak by unseen. It was clearly a miracle that no one mentioned the sighting of Lady Purple Heart completely destroying the man in the alleyway.

Anyways, she never told Histoire and Nepgear about that day (they saw bits and pieces of it on the news, but that was about it), and instead kept it to herself. For the next few days, she would keep to herself; she would occasionally be her old self and tease Compa here and there, but all-in-all, she was mostly quiet. Her sister grew concerned, but by the time she decided to ask what was wrong, The CPU of Planeptune began to sneak out (she never made that apparent, of course, always coming up with an excuse. Her Oracle would've raised a fuss, but surprisingly, Neptune was doing her work much more than usual, and all was good with her), always heading back to that alleyway, wondering if she would see that poor kid again.

It took some time, but eventually, on one clear May morning, she saw him again, still in those raggedy clothes, still looking completely injured. It made Neptune surprisingly tear up, though she quickly drew those tears away, as she attempted to socialize with the boy. _Does anyone ever wash him? Man, this is sad! _She would think that day as she walked up to him. Apparently, he remembered her real well, as he began to walk back in fright. "Please, kid, I really don't want to hurt you! I just want to know if, well, you're feeling better. Where are your parents, by the way? Someone has to be concerned, you being out all by yourself like this." She hoped he would open up to her just a little bit. Who knows; maybe today was her lucky day.

The boy continued to look at her behind those dirty eyes, a faint light of blue emanating from them, as if he was judging her very persona. He appeared to open his mouth, but only a low groan came out. Neptune really wanted to just go over there and hug him, seeing as how he probably hadn't encountered such intimacy in so long, but she feared he would run away again. A rather quiet-yet-noticeable rumble was heard from his belly, and the CPU couldn't help but feel sad.

"Are you hungry? I know some places that make some sick cakes, you know? I don't know how they put so much vanilla on top of chocolate, which is already on top of vanilla, which already is on top of strawberries, and…oh, now I made myself hungry! Come on, kid, don't you want to try it?" she knew that her words did come out as a bit suspicious (especially when it came to young kids like this one), but in full honesty, she did mean it all; wouldn't hold up in court, but hey, it's the thought that counts. Still, she observed his countenance, and knew that while he was hungry, he should probably be washed, or at least given the decency of nice clothing; where the hell were his parents, anyways?

"Hey, um, I know this sounds weird…and please don't take this the wrong way, but what happened to you? Why do wander about all dirty and such? Don't you want to be, you know, not dirty? When was the last time you bathed? If you want, I'll be happy to bring you back to the Basilicom…you know, that freakishly gigantic castle-like doohickey over there? Yeah, I'll give you bath, share some pudding with you, and hey, I got that latest game not too long ago…"

She knew she was starting to ramble, but perhaps it was actually a hidden plan deep within her mind to keep going, for the more she spoke of pleasure, the boy slowly grew a smile. She even cracked a random joke out of nowhere, and the young child giggled, the dirt on his face slowly peeling off from him. It was a small moment, yes, and even though she would have to still help him in whatever way she could, she at least got this reaction out of him. That was all that she wanted; to see a young kid laugh during a moment of apparent peril. She was like CFW Trick, with her love for children; only difference was, she _wasn't _at all like Trick. I know that made no sense, but you probably understand what I'm trying to say.

_Awesomesauce! I got him to laugh. Still need that name, but it's a cool start. Man, why is he like this, though? I really hope he has parents-wait, do I? If he has them, where are they? They're doing a really sucky job at parenting, you know-"_

As if on cue, a loud shout soon appeared throughout the air around them. "Miksy, get over here! What are you doing running about?" Neptune and the boy turned to look down the road, where a very angry father and mother stood, fury burning their faces with a mighty intensity. Judging from their clothing, they were part of the upper class in Planeptune, as indicated by their rather exquisite, purple-and-red tuxedo/gown (depending on the gender). The CPU looked at them in a "funky" way, somewhat confused as to who these characters could possibly be; she didn't put two-and-two together at this point. Still, she did look at the boy's face, and if one saw the fright that suddenly grew apparent upon those beady, little eyes, you can understand the sudden hatred that brewed within her.

"Get over here, Miksy! We don't have time for this!"

_So, his name's Miksy, huh?_

"Miksy, right? Are those your parents?" Neptune asked. Even she knew that was an idiotic question, but it was just for a mere confirmation. In the end, she probably didn't want to _believe _they were; I mean, look at them compared this poor child. He looked to be homeless and alone, and those two appear to be newlyweds who just happen to be extremely rich. The CPU just couldn't comprehend how this could happen. Anyways, the boy looked up at her, those eyes piercing directly into her soul, as though they were silently, but surely, attempting to make some sort of message for her, though they were just too clouded by the dirt to notice. It frightens her to this day.

In the end, he nodded, and just before she could even reach out to him even further, he began to walk hesitantly towards his supposed parents, who still remained horribly angry, though from the eyes of the purple-haired Goddess, they seemed to be mostly forcing it out of them. It seriously made her want to throw up, and she didn't even know the whole story yet.

For a while, she just stood there, wondering, just wondering what was going to happen, as well as questioning herself as to why her legs wouldn't commence movement any further. Once the boy made it to his parents, they began to yell something to his face, though what it was remained unclear, thanks to their lowered voices. Whatever it was, the boy slowly began to cry; Neptune hoped that these parents were just yelling at him not ton wander off again, and hopefully questioning why he was dirty (hopefully it was a simple answer, and not something terrible). _Please, just don't do anything stupid…_

That was what they ended up doing. At one point, they did raise their voices, though only bits and pieces were understandable by our main Heroine. "Fool…you are really…ASIC would, you know that?...we would be dead because of you!..."

_Woah, okay; now the plot randomly thickens…_

Then, out of the blue, the mother said directly into the crying boys face: "You are the worst thing to happen to us!" and then proceeded to slap him quite hard. This broke the CPU's barrier, as she quickly stomped her way over there, the purple aura about to surround her once more, along with the wind mysteriously picking up (which was finally noticed by the crowd around them). The parents noticed her walked closer, and in a strange move, they randomly shielded their child from her; strange, considering what the mother had just said, but maybe they were attempting to save face. "Oh no you don't! You stay away from us! I don't know what you want with our child, but whatever it is, you stay the hell away!"

The fury in the Goddess's eyes was quickly becoming apparent. Once she reached them, she began to wag a finger right in their faces. "Oh, I am _not _staying the heck away! You just said he was the worst thing you ever had! How can you recover from that? That's like saying our games suck, and then immediately playing them for no reason! Plus, you just slapped him across the face…look, he can barely stop crying. Why would you even do that? Shouldn't you be, oh, I don't know, more caring?"

The father scoffed at her. "Oh great, a kid is telling the _adults _how to parent! Look, how about you run along now, before we call the Cops on you! We have more than enough proof to show that you were attempting to kidnap Miksy from us, and that's not a good thing at all, little girl. Go on, shoo!"

Neptune had just about enough of this guy. Her eyes gave off the symbol of the CPU, and the wind continued to pick up in speed, alerting the two parents, as they still attempted to keep their glares on her. The little boy behind them, poor young Miksy, actually drew away his tears, and in a surprise twist, actually let out a smile. This made the Goddess even more sad at this situation, though she kept her angered composure. "Look buddy, you _really _have no idea who're messing with! I don't know how you parent, and frankly, I'm most certainly not one to begin with, but I can easily say that, by the power of Histoire, you are really sucky at your jobs! For Pete's sake, when was the last time Miksy over there was washed? Please, just wash him, and for crying out loud, get him something to eat! I mean, do you even know how to raise a kid?" she yelled, fire almost coming out of her mouth. If you happened to be there, her voice was half the one she held when in her Maker form, while the other half was that of Lady Purple Heart; it freaked the two adults out, I'm sure.

The two parents continued to glare at her, and for awhile, they just shook their heads in disbelief. A crowd started to surround them, all questioning what was going on; at least the majority of them seemed to be on Neptune's side, though it was hard to make out. Noticing this (Miksy was getting scared again, but the sudden reassurance brought on by the Goddess of Planeptune helped him remain at ease), they made a loud, largely inappropriate "humph" noise, like all snotty aristocrats would at some point in their lives. "How dare you say stupid things like that! You really aren't a parent! How about you grow up some more, and then we'll have an actual conversation!" the mother said, before scooping Miksy up off his feet (he disturbingly struggled, making Neptune only sadder). "Come on, let's go!"

With that, the motley family began to leave the Goddess behind, the crowd still unsure as to what was actually happening in front of their eyes. Neptune wanted to do something so badly, anything really, but for some reason, she just couldn't make herself move anymore. The poor young boy, God knows what was going on with him at home, could only look back at the CPU, his eyes pleading for something, though it was too difficult to tell. It was as if he was trying to shout "Please, help me! Don't let me go!" but even if he did say it out loud, the purple-haired Goddess probably couldn't do anything in this state.

In full honesty, if there weren't so many people around, and if she had a much darker personality, she would have transformed right there and just slice the hell out of those two douchebags. Unfortunately, that was just out of the picture, and even if she had those bizarre qualities, she wouldn't want to scar Miksy any further; that would go against everything she stood for. _What in the hey? You know they're just going to screw him over, girl, so why not chase after them? Man, that poor kid…_

_ "_Neptune, there you are!"

Histoire ended up flying directly behind the Goddess, spooking her as she almost went flying straight up. The crowd around them, noticing the Oracle now, silently whistled to themselves as they went along their way, hoping not to catch attention to themselves. "Woah, Histy, where'd you come from? Why aren't at the Basilicom doing, eh, Oracle things?"

The floating Tome was clearly not amused. "I could be asking you a modified variation of that! You told me specifically that you would only be gone for about 10 minutes, and here you are, missing for nearly a whole hour! I can tolerate most of your actions, but this one is a bit excessive!" Histoire yelled, waving her puny little arms around in frustration. Like I said before, she didn't really mind Neptune heading out often as long as that work was done, but in this case, a full hour is quite troublesome. The purple-haired Goddess shrugged sheepishly.

"Oh, well, you know, I was just, um…"

After witnessing Miksy being taken away, she really wanted to tell Histoire now of that poor child, yet fear still clouded her decision. At this point, she began questioning herself as to why she couldn't just come out and say it; I mean, it's clear that those parents are probably not the best for him. Yet, for some reason, the Goddess was fearful of it, for she began to feel terror at the thought of Histoire reacting negatively towards her, punishing her for meddling in another person's business without definitive proof (the dirt that covered the boy and the lack of perceived care was probably more than enough, but since the boy wasn't there anymore, nor did Neptune know where they lived, it wasn't good for the time being), and thus getting them nowhere in the end.

So, in the end, especially since the family wasn't visible anymore, Neptune decided to lie herself out of this one. "I was just taking a nice stroll through Plany here, and accidentally lost the track of time. Don't think I bought something out of the blue like last time, Histy. Look, see? Nothing's in my hands, nor my hoodie, so everything's-a-good!" she said, her voice evidently shaky as her thumb came straight up.

Lying would haunt her for the rest of her life.

The floating tome shook her head. "I am glad to see that, but please remember the time from here on out! We just got more paperwork from the valley area, and they want it done this instant! Nepgear is working fast and diligently, but it would be better if there were two people to finish it!" Histoire yelled, though she was mostly relieved at this point.

"Gotcha, Histy. That work will be…wait, the valley? Ah, they always have the more complicated ones! Can I at least skip the paperwork for today?"

"No!"

With that, the two of them managed to get away from the lingering crowd and head back to the Basilicom, all the while Neptune was still fearing for young Miksy, wondering what he, along with his parents, were doing now. Was he okay, or were those terrible people doing terrible things to him, like letting him wander about the dangerous alleyways? She swore in her head that if they weren't feeding him or at least washing him, she would find them and perform what she wanted to do previously.

At the same moment, Histoire realized that something was indeed bothering her CPU; she knew her long enough to look past any shaky smile. She said that all that occurred was that she walked around, and like a dimwit forgot the time, but something had to be missing. The Tome could see through her mask a deeper meaning, one that was filled with, surprisingly enough, depression. Neptune never, and I mean _never_, had depression prevalent in her emotions, the only time being when she forgot to buy pudding the previous day, and was too lazy to go and buy more. What happened out there? It began to bother the tome as she kept to herself, not wanting to push her Goddess any further, especially when there was a lot of work to be done.

For a long time after that, Neptune would still work as hard as she could, at points even surpassing her hard-working sister. The goofball, well known for doing some work before sitting back and playing as many games as she could, was now neglecting her own game console, sometimes staying up past midnight in order to get everything done. The Oracle and Candidate were understandably concerned, relieved that their own CPU was finally doing work, but at the same time wondering why she was so focused all of a sudden. Heck, she sometimes neglected her favorite food, and even now began to eat her vegetables like a champ; it was as if she was a completely different person.

For Neptune though, it was all psychological. If people in her nation were living like poor Miksy, she wasn't doing her job properly, and when she actually had to think that, you knew it was serious. She spent half of her time working, a quarter of her time researching on those terrible parents whereabouts, and only a sliver of her time on actually being what she normally was. Sometimes, she refused to speak the entire day, which was extremely frightening to the other Goddesses, who felt that this sudden change in mood could signify the beginning of a war (thank God that didn't happen. It probably would've gone to Heartmas, and only stupid idiots write stories about wars during that Holiday!). In the end, she worked hard, thinking that doing so would improve Miksy's life, however that was supposed to work.

Unfortunately, her efforts would prove futile come Gamindustri's July.

On the last day she was looking for him, she saw the parents running for their lives, a bunch of suitcases floating around their bodies. They were clearly leaving out of fear of something, though what it was cannot be explained at this time. Neptune quickly realized that Miksy wasn't with them, and she grew madder than a hatter, preparing to chase after them. However, they were running faster than a Blue Hedgehog, and though the CPU was eating healthy and was now at the top of her prime, she still couldn't run to save her life. In the end, she decided to instead focus on wondering where poor Miksy was; she prayed that they didn't lock him up in one of those suitcases.

She made note of where they ran from, and continued on down that path. People continued to stare at her as she made her past every building in the area, wondering which one they could all possibly live in. They were clearly rich (or at least dressed like them), so their house had to be on the other side of town. Yet, if that was the case, why were they down here running, looking to get out of Planeptune as fast as possible? Wouldn't they stay on that side of town, and catch the tram there, which moves faster than the one here on the opposite side? What the hell could they be running from?

As she ran through the town, she found herself actually running straight towards the Basilicom, the rich side of town lying down the other road. "So, those terrible people actually ran by _my _Basilicom? I don't know why, but I feel sick all of something," she said in pure contempt, her breathing getting heavy after running for so long. Nepgear looked out a lower window of her home, and noticed her sister running at the speed of Nep, making her smile as she believed her sister was finally improving her cardio. How wrong could a Candidate be?

Before she reached the rich-end, she stumbled upon a huge hill, with what had to be the biggest tree in the world perched at the top. That tree, the only one of its kind, was always decorated during the Holiday of Heartmas, Neptune always commissioning some of her soldiers to decorate it with all sorts of lights. It was meant to be the happiest area around that night, even more jolly than the Heartmas tree within the Basilicom, and was open for everyone in Planeptune to come take a gander. It was supposed to be the warmest and safest place during that day and the proceeding eve.

But today, it was probably the worst place ever conceived.

There were plenty of crow-hogs flying about something lying next to the tree's roots, and Neptune was unsure what it could have been. I mean, there had to be 20 crow-hogs, and the item they were picking at was, while bigger than most things, still small for such a crowd. "What, did a poor monster die? Wow, that's definitely not graphic or anything-"

Her voice was soon choked up, for in a matter of seconds, her tiny, bad-taste joking was soon transformed into her worst nightmares. You see, at the bottom of the tree, lying just below the mighty boughs of the heavenly glory, lay the poor young child, the crow-hogs flying about. Once they spotted Neptune, they all flew away as quickly as possible, off towards the bright sun, away from the darkened scene below. The CPU couldn't keep her mouth shut, her eyes beginning to water as her whole body went numb. She couldn't tell if he was alive or not, but that wasn't the worst part about it. He was just…lying there, his parents running for the hills without a care, as though the whole world simply forgot about his existence.

Attached to his still dirty shirt was quite the wrinkled note, nearly eaten by the previous birds-of-death. On it, in a hasty font indicating low intelligence was written: "Four our bos and four yor det, we take ur chiild away. Shuud hav got the mone when u can!" With that, the letter, soaked in some of the mud encrusted on the poor kid's body, continued to lay there, as though the child was a poor victim of some disturbing hunt. Neptune read every single word of it, questioning what the hell it could mean; the very first thought she had was that it was none other than the three men from long ago that managed to escape her untimely fury, though why they would come back to finish Miksy off was beyond her comprehension.

She eventually couldn't stand anymore, and found herself crying at this grizzly sight, her eyes still in shock over how this came to be. The safest place during the holidays, now the resting spot for a kid that just couldn't get the chance he deserved. Why did this happen? Why did she _let _this happen? She could have just told Histoire that day so that this could have been avoided, but no, the one time she was ever paranoid happened to be the most important part of her life. Now, this poor child was gone, and she was technically responsible for letting it happen.

As she cried, slamming a fist into the ground, Histoire began to hear her whimpers, and immediately flew over. "Neptune, what is it? Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" she immediately asked, placing a delicate, tiny hand upon her CPU's shoulder, fearing the worst. What could have possibly happened? Even during other times when she broke down crying, Neptune never cried this hard.

The purple-Haired Goddess looked up at the tome, her eyes beet-red from the sadness pouring out. It scared Histoire nearly to death, I'm sure. "I-I-I…" and that was all from the CPU. She was held in extreme disbelief, and her voice was definitely affected by it. The floating fairy-like creature grew even more concerned, wondering what could have happened.

That was when she turned her head ever so slightly towards the mighty tree, and once she saw the horrible sight, she sincerely wanted to faint. She immediately flew over to his cold body, trying to see if there was any life within him, but to no avail. She could only look at his dirty body in shock, locked in the same mindset that her fellow Goddess was currently trapped in. "Oh…oh my god…"

Nepgear, now realizing that something was up, came running out of the Basilicom at top speed. "Goodness, is something wrong? Neptune, why are you crying? Oh my Goodness, are you hurt?"

Histoire saw the Candidate, and began taking the role as a leader. "Nepgear, get Compa this instant! Quickly now!"

Nepgear did as she was told, leaving her grieving sister behind, still confused as to what was really happening. Neptune still sat there on her knees, her hands blocking her eyes as tears rolled through the openings between her fingers. It was quite the sight to see the Planeptune Goddess in such a state, one that could make anyone slowly lose themselves in a fit of pity. "Why…Neptune, why didn't you…? Ah…!"

In the end, the boy was gone, lost in the heat of a dark moment. Compa brought his body to the hospital (she just couldn't look at the poor boy's face, making her teary eyed each time), where the top doctors of Gamindustri concluded that, unfortunately, he was killed the day prior to discovery, though his body was recently placed their by his murderers. Apparently, and this was the most shocking, this wasn't the first case like this, though it was the first time a kid this young was taken as the victim. The people who did this were none other than those three men, all part of a strange, small sect of the still-resurrecting ASIC, who apparently care more for credits than their own dark Goddess. They bribe families all around Planeptune, and the first moment that family can't pay them, one of them is killed, and the group will then move on. Histoire and Nepgear were appalled that this was going on behind their back; Neptune could only stare in silence.

Unfortunately, the three men ran for it, most likely leaving the country now that the CPU was aware of them. Wherever they are, Neptune would make sure they are found. Their leader was brought in for questioning, but the Goddess had no idea how that went. In the end, this sick group attacked about six families, five of which didn't deserve any of it. Miksy's, though, at least to Neptune, was still being blamed in her eyes. They were probably being threatened by these terrible people since even before she met him, and yet the family still didn't care for him in the slightest. He was still dirty when they found his young body, and the doctors concluded that, even before death, he hadn't eaten in what to be nearly a week. That just made the CPU even more angry, and wanted not only those three men brought to justice, but those parents as well (unfortunately, no one knows where they are, either).

Neptune eventually told her little sister and Oracle all about what she was doing during the past months, and rather than being scolded for her actions, her two closest family members immediately hugged her. It was quite traumatic for a person to deal with all of this alone, and Nepgear and Histoire decided to let their CPU rest for a few days afterwords, just to make sure she can get her bearings. For the most part, no one in Gamindustri (sans Compa, IF, and one other Maker, which we will get to) was aware of these terrible atrocities, and for the family members that were affected by this terrible crime, compensation was sent to them (all family members left Planeptune by Heartmas, however. Neptune didn't blame them). They made sure that none of the other Goddesses learned of this, for the perceived weakness that could be brought up could lead to a massive loss of shares; it sounded terirble, but that's just the scary world of politics.

Eventually, July passed, and as a variety of soldiers (and Nisa, when she did learn about what had occurred) looked tirelessly for both the abusive parents and murderous ASIC members, life continued on like normal. Histoire and the rest wanted to bury Miksy in a nice cemetery, but in a strange move, Neptune wanted him to be buried right underneath the mighty tree outside the Basilicom. Her friends and family were understandably confused, but Neptune gave the reason that she wanted him to be "in a safe place," and the tree was the best place to be. She felt that he was sort of like family to her, and just letting him go forgotten in a strange, foreign land of the dead just didn't sit well with her. Histoire wanted to interject, but decided that her Goddess was correct in this manner, and the funeral was set.

As the days wore on, Neptune, with the help of her closest buds, managed to finally get back to her former self, and by October she was back to cracking jokes and messing with Noire. Unfortunately, that also met her workload was starting to get neglected again, though it still wasn't as bad as it was before. Hell, she was still actually eating healthy, which started to make Nepgear sad; she always did enjoy making cookies for her sister, but now that she often rejected them, she started to feel obsolete. Still, it was at least a step in the right direction, and for now, it seemed that life was just getting back to its original state.

But deep down, Neptune still beat herself up over the death of that poor child. She was lost in a constant loop of "what if I did this," and "what if I just said that," and so forth. On the outside, she was looking pretty good, and even on the inside, she was pretty okay, but that lingering feeling of letting Miksy down still persisted, and she constantly wondered if she could have done anything better. His killers were still at large, and his parents were still nowhere to be found, so in the end, this still wasn't over; not by a long shot.

…

This is how we arrived to this scene on Heartmas Eve, with Neptune still playing that game from Lastation. Phew, that took a while, but I digress. Once she saw that poor kid die, gone from a world that itself was steadily being forgotten, these terrible memories of the loss of a rather young friend played deeply within her mind, and at points, her eyes grew teary once more. How could someone that young just die like that, and then have the whole world expected to just move on? These people in the game, she presumed, had a reason to keep going, since it was the freaking end of the world, but for her life, which was far from ending (we all hope), she just couldn't get on without remembering those scared eyes as he was being carried away. Miksy and the poor kid in the game; dead before their times, and just supposed to be forgotten with time.

How sick.

Strangely enough, and I do mean strangely, Neptune reached a checkpoint, and once she saved, immediately turned the game off. Soon, the only light within the room was coming from the Heartmas tree, which shined its everlasting glory all across the walls of the sacred area. Outside the window was the falling of snow, dropping precariously down to the ground,preparing to blanket the world for the upcoming season. The room soon became quiet, where even a pin could be heard from a far-away distance. Only the gray matter that was the people of the Basilicom preparing for tomorrow filled the silent ambiance, though the CPU didn't seem to mind. She just sat on that comfy chair, lost once more in that everlasting loop of "what-ifs." It just wouldn't leave her alone, you know?

_You can't just beat yourself up, Nep. You got a kickass holiday tomorrow, and who knows; you might get that super-tacular awesome RPG game you always wanted! Come on, cheer up!_

_ I don't know brain, I just…I just can't help but feel terrible, you know? I mean, Miksy didn't get to celebrate the holidays this year. I'm just…I really should have done more…_

Her emotions were once again winning over her mind, and for a moment, she thought that she was going to break down and cry once again, most likely alerting everyone in the Basilicom. Luckily, though, a much needed distraction came through that doorway, sparing her any lecture necessary from her local, floating tome.

"Neptune, are in here? Goodness, even with the tree, it's still so dark!"

Neptune soon perked her head up, brushing the fallen tears off of her face, hoping that her little sister didn't notice. "Nep Jr., the person I wanted to see. Oh, what you got in your hand, hm? Ah, the Cookies and milk for the Santa-Tome, eh?" she said, somehow making her voice sound all cheerful and carefree, far from whatever she was just feeling. Her little sister jumped in fright, not noticing her sister sitting on that chair, almost spilling the milk all over the ground.

"Neptune, please don't scare me like that! You know how easy I panic!" Nepgear yelled, steadying her hands as she continued to calmly go on her path. Indeed, the plate she held contained about 20 cookies and a gigantic glass of milk, the oddly-enough preferred food for the Godly being of all heavenly joy. Both of the girls knew that the Santa-Tome didn't exist (yes, even Neptune knew that one), but it was still fun to pull off the standard traditions.

"Hehe, sorry about that. I just can't believe that tomorrow's the big day! Oh, I can't wait to see what I got! Do you think going to bed is possible tonight, kind sis?" Neptune said, jumping for joy as the inside of her mind began to cry. Jeez, talk about mood-whiplash.

Her little sister, who was currently in the unknown to her sister's true feelings, smiled and nodded, placing the plate down right on a mantle piece, the light from the tree casting a beautiful shadow upon it. Indeed, it felt as if the holiday spirit just came out of nowhere and embraced the two of them. Such beauty, no?

"Well, tomorrow's more than just presents, but I agree, I can't wait, either! Oh, I really hope I can get to bed tonight. I don't want a repeat of last year!"

For some reason, the two of them laughed, leaving us all in the dark. "Ah, relax, Nep. Jr. Knowing you, you'll probably be fast asleep hours before I even touch my bed!" Neptune reassured her, taking another look at the grand star on top of the tree, which looked straight back down at her. It was a marvelous sight for a girl so wrecked with personal problems, and though it gave her some warmth, it still pained her to think back at the previous months, though she attempted to keep it to herself, not wanting to ruin the mood for her sister.

Still, she suddenly had an idea, one that made her feel both sad, but at the same time slightly relieved.

"Hey, uh, Nep. Jr. Before we go to bed, can you, you know, follow me outside? You might want to put on a big ol' jacket; it's starting to come down hard out there!" The Goddess told her sis, her eyes slowly going back to their depressing side. Nepgear was taken back by this strange request, and at first, she contemplated whether or not she should. For one thing, her sister needed her help for something, but on the other hand, Histoire may freak out finding them outside on the most important eve of them all. Still, her sister won over her duty as a Candidate sometimes, and this was one of those cases.

"Um, sure, but why exactly? I don't want you catching a cold before tomorrow."

Neptune made a silent laugh to herself. "Ah, just want to visit that big tree out front, you know? I just need your help carrying something, that's all. Shouldn't take more than a few seconds," she said, motioning for her sister to follow. Nepgear once more felt hesitant, but in the end, she followed the pace of her sister, wondering just what they were doing.

It was probably around the time they reached the tree that Nepgear discovered what they were doing. In her hands were two candles, along with a lighter, designed so that there was absolutely no chance of this tree going down a-blazing. The snow fell down quite steadily, already drenching her coat in watery precipitation. The hundreds of lights upon that mighty tree sung a melody of love and peace, and though dark things had occurred less than half a year ago at this very place, the tree still gave off that sense of protection Neptune always mentioned.

Just beside the tree, essentially where he was discovered, was the grave-site of young Miksy, a gravestone standing perfectly inline with the tree, so that the light could cast a grand shadow upon it, as though it was a blanket during the cold season (you never would have guessed that Neptune was the poetic type). It stated only his first name, as unfortunately no records were found that could give the rest, and under it was his presumed birth (again, no records discovered), and unfortunate death dates. Nepgear solemnly looked at the grave-site, no tears appearing, though she was pretty close to experiencing them. The giant star on top of this tree shined brightly up in the heavens.

"You know what? It's funny, actually," Neptune began, "I can't even tell you if he even _celebrated_ Heartmas! I mean, I practically knew him for like, months on end, and yet I can't tell you a single thing about him. Funny, right?"

"N-Neptune…"

Still, the purple-haired Goddess continued to speak, her voice getting shakier and shakier with each passing minute. "I mean, I wonder if he was allowed to celebrate anything at all? Did he ever get presents, or fire up that fine monumental-thing, or experience joy, or actually have a caring family…"

With every word she spoke, she slowly built up in anger, causing the Candidate to back up in fright. "…or actually have parents who actually gave a damn about him? Do you think he was ever hugged, or at least tucked in, or anything a kid should actually experience? Do you think Miksy actually got a chance to be happy? He was only, I don't know, seven years old, and look at him! I mean, I mean, now he's…"

And that was that. Neptune, the childish Goddess of the bunch, well-known for bringing joy (and vexation) to the party, was now at her most vulnerable, crashing down to the ground like Noire did back in Lastation, disturbingly around the same time, I presume. Nepgear could only watch as her one and only true sister cried to herself, the snow around her starting to stick to her clothing, the light from the tree doing whatever it can to remedy this situation. It was hard to see her sister like this, and even though Neptune thought her little sis had no idea what was going on within her head, Nepgear was able to essentially guess. She walked up to her sister, placing the candles down on the ground as she placed a reassuring arm on her elder's shoulder.

"It's okay, Neptune. Everything's okay."

"N-No! It's not okay, Nep. Jr! Those terrible people that pass for parents…those fat ol' mean bastards…and I didn't do anything! I'm the Goddess, Nepgear, and I felt so useless. Those eyes, oh man, those eyes! He wanted me to…no, _begged _me to help him, and what did I do? Diddly-squat! I…it's all my fault. All my fault!" Neptune said, her countenance breaking more and more every time she spoke. The Candidate kept her hand on her shoulder, hoping to somehow get her sister back to normal.

"It's not your fault, Neptune!"

"Yes it is!"

"Goodness, it's not! Neptune, you can't blame yourself for this! I know you think you could have done something, but what if that still made him, you know…Even if we stopped those horrible people from committing this crime, his parents still have him, and as far as I know, they would've kept him anyways!"

"I could have done something, Nepgear! That poor kid was being abused, I know he was! I never seen a kid more hungry and dirty than him! I'm the leader of this nation, and I couldn't…oh, I really am useless!"

Nepgear did the only thing she could have done. In a matter of seconds, against the raging snow all around them, the Candidate slapped her sister straight across the face. Neptune was still fighting her tears, but she did manage to calm down a little. Noticing this, her little sister quickly grabbed both of her older sister's shoulders, looking straight into her eyes. "Neptune, no matter what you keep telling yourself, none of this was your fault. There was nothing you could have done that wasn't barbaric. If you went down that road, what would have become?"

Neptune looked into her sister's eyes, and then towards the ground. "But I'm the leader. I could have at least told you and Histy about it, and maybe get someone to stop those three, or at least get that kid away from those terrible parents. But…even with proof, what would that have…"

"Exactly, Neptune. I don't know how all of that works, honestly, but I remember Histoire telling me that the hardest thing to do is to get a child away from unruly parents. You could have said something to us, yeah, but I really hate to say this, but that would probably just cause us to get sued, and while their busy doing that, Miksy probably would've died from all that neglect.

"And how could you have known that those three men would have done this? You didn't know! That was just beyond your control! We only knew they were ASIC members after poor Miksy died, so you wouldn't have known to just stop them completely. It just couldn't be helped, Neptune. I really am sorry, but please, don't beat yourself up over this!"

Her sister, however, was still unconvinced. "Nep. Jr, you keep forgetting one thing. I'm the leader of Planeptune, and my goal is to make sure everyone is safe. When I saw those four men beating on him, I only took care of one, and didn't even bother to get the others. Face it, little sis, but I really am pathetic."

Nepgear was getting angry now. "Neptune, you didn't persue them because of one reason. You feared for Miksy's life. He was so hurt from them, and you wanted to make sure he was okay. You were doing your job great, in my opinion. You could have gone and killed those guys for all I know, but you instead made sure that the kid was okay, and from my viewpoint, that was the best that anyone could do."

"What about the parents then, huh? I could have done more to stop them from being so, I don't know, dickish!"

Nepgear nodded, and knew exactly what to say. "You told me before that the only thing you wanted to do at that moment was to just slice them both down, and take Miksy back home with you. Yet, you didn't. Neptune, you were afraid, and no one blames you for being like that. If you did do what you planned, and everyone saw you, especially Miksy, you would be in a really bad spot, you know? You would take care of them, but that would just make things worse. You were scared, and that made you stay the good person that you are. If I was in your position, I would probably do the same thing. Goodness, even Histoire, Noire, and everyone else would do the same, too! You're not the only one that would have done what you did.

"And for the record, you worked as hard as possible for him, and even though you didn't even know it was happening, you were practically working for all those that were affected by those terrible people. You made the nation an even happier place because of them, and at the same time, and this is just between you and me, you became a better person. No, really, you have, Neptune! I know you get moody, but your jokes are funnier, you began to eat healthy, and you even strengthen our bond with the other nations. All this so that you can improve this nation, and hopefully stop whatever happened to Miksy from happening to anyone else. And, you still tried your best to find him, and I know that if you did find where he lived, you probably had the thought of, you know, hurting his parents, but in the end, you would have found a way to settle it peacefully. I know you would've.

"So, you're not useless, big sis. I think that after all of this, you did everything right as a leader, and though Miksy is gone, I know he's in a better place, away from all of these terrible things. I bet he's still laughing and smiling, watching you. I wouldn't be surprised if he's your guardian angel now, protecting you like you protected both him and your nation. Please, just don't blame yourself, Neptune. I…I want to see you smile again!"

It was a lengthy speech, but it was worth it. Nepgear did the best she could to elevate her sister's fallen mind, and for a long time, the two of them remained silent. The Candidate actually found herself embracing her sister, trying to make her feel as good as humanly possible. The tree still stood before them, casting an impeccable light against the two of them, as the grave-site also appeared to blanket them, protecting them from the cold that was the snow.

Down the hill floated Histoire, who originally came out there to scold them for being out so late on the holiest night of all. However, once she overheard what was going on, she simply nodded to herself, and proceeded to just watch them. After Nepgear finished talking, the Oracle smiled, and proceeded to head back into the building. She felt that scolding could be saved until after the holidays, anyways.

After a few more minutes, Neptune looked back into her sister's eyes. "Nep. Jr, c-can you help me light these candles?"

Nepgear completely forgot about those pesky candles, and immediately broke her embrace in order to pick them up. "Um, certainly. Come on!"

With that, the two of them lit the candles, allowing their yellow-blue flames to burn brightly along with the tree. Once they were lit, Neptune proceeded to very carefully place them on top of the grave, a kind showing of respect common throughout Gamindustri. Once they were placed, the two sisters stood side-by-side, hands folded around their waist as their heads remained down, a symbolic gesture for a prayer. The snow continued to fall, but it seemed that for some time, all particles of the frozen water missed them completely.

It was a kind gesture, really; to respect not only Miksy, but as well as those that Neptune couldn't meet, those that met the unfortunate end by those terrible men of ASIC. Even though the victim's were not as young as Miksy, they were still probably just children, and the CPU couldn't help but feel saddened by it all. They didn't deserve any of this; they should never be considered "part of the fallen" in this grizzly case. If she had the chance, even though Nepgear did reassure her, she would still take the opportunity to save all of them, and hopefully allow them to all live happy lives here in Planeptune. Unfortunately, such a moment may never occur, but the Goddess of Planeptune was still able to at least do something; she was able to remember those that did die, so that their memory would go on. She wanted them to be remembered, so that the world could always remembered the sweet angels that once embraced the world. Remembering the fallen was the only thing anyone could do, and yet it was simply the most poignant action to ever commit.

After praying for about two minutes, the two of them broke their trance, and gazed at the magnificent tree. "One day," Neptune began," I'm going to find those horrible people, and make sure they get the justice they deserve. I'll find his parents, and no matter what they say, I'll show them what they could have done."

She soon bent down upon her knee, and looked at the tombstone. "But until then, please rest easy, Miksy. I know that somewhere out there, you're laughing and enjoying your time. Rest easy, friend. I'll see you again someday."

It was the most humane thing Nepgear ever heard from her sister, and she couldn't help but shed a few tears here and there. "I know he's happy, Neptune. He watching over us right now, and I know he wants you just as happy," she said, her own voice getting shaky. Her older sister made a laugh, and behind those tear-stained eyes was the feeling of happiness. The pain in her head was going away; it would never be truly gone, nothing ever is when it comes to the mind, but the feeling of acceptance made it all the more better, and she felt truly like herself again.

"Nep. Jr.?"

"Hm? What's up, Neptune?"

Her older sister immediately pulled her into a hug, which she quickly accepted back. "Thank you so much! You really are the best sister anyone could ask for!"

The words came out just like Neptune always sounded, but there was that hint of generosity that made Nepgear feel all warm on the inside. "And you're the best older sister a little one could want."

As they hugged, both came to the terrible realization that it was really getting late; like, Histoire-would-kill-you-for-being-out-that-late late. "Crapparoni, sis, we need to get back in! Histoire's gonna flip!" Neptune suddenly said, breaking the embrace as she grabbed her sister's hand, running as fast as humanly possible.

"Ah, Neptune, slow down! Goodness, wait!"

Still, though the sense of urgency was prevalent, the two of them were still happy, quite ready for the holiday festivities that were soon about to commence. As soon as they re-entered the Basilicom, the tree above the hill glowed intensely. The star on top, which already shined a heavenly aura upon the world, seemed to grow even bigger, as though there was plenty of light during this beautiful, dark night.


	3. Does the Santa-Tome Exist?

Memory 3: Does the Santa-Tome Really Exist?

To north of all three nations lay one of the oldest civilizations in existence. Dubbed many names throughout its tumultuous years, it currently beckons the identity of Lowee, the grand land renowned for its usage of the ancient magic and alchemy that went outdated many generations prior. Compared to the other, industrious nations, Lowee situates itself upon olden styles of living and commerce, and after living in the past for so long, it still holds just the same integrity as its rivals. Along with its different style of living, the land is much more, dare I say it, "childish" in nature, to the point that even the retired folk still have that youthful glee with every step they take.

Coupled with its frigid weather conditions, where one moment the land could be set to an autumn state, to the next having the ground covered in a foot of snow, the land was of course ideal as the starting point of the grand holiday known as Heartmas. No one knows when it was first celebrated, but the Lady White Heart of Old (at least we presume there was another Goddess over a millennium ago in Lowee, since Blanc ruling that long could be quite the confusing fact) was the first to create the customs that are still celebrated to this day. Not much has changed since that first tree lighting; only the fact that other nations now celebrate it lingers around. It was a day of both light and happiness, and for Lowee, it was a time for embracing the days long past, the ones were everyone was still growing away from their mothers, and slowly stepping up to the plate as an adult.

Unlike other nations, which only employed the thoughts of unity and peace, Lowee always cherished the thought of being young, as though being an adult was more of a curse than that of a privilege. On the eve and following day, adults as old as, well, over freaking 100 would skip across the streets, build up their snowmen as their neighbors created snow angels on their lawns, with others participating in the classical sport of the snowball fight. To an outsider (and hell, to the actual youth of Lowee), it was quite the sight to behold, and though it looked hilarious no matter what side you were on, it still showed the breathtaking power of the season, as though it held the true power of making the world just a tad bit better, if not more fun. The Lady in charge of this fine establishment, fine Lady Blanc, always enjoyed this holiday, and unlike her normal personality (for those that actually know her), she would sometimes even join in unannounced on the festivities.

One must wonder why this strange cultural quirk exists. Perhaps it was due to the influence of magic and childhood wonder that still lingers behind all of those mountains, or maybe it was the fact that, in this day and age, being a grown-up really _did _suck. Still, the general theory that exists throughout all of the major cities is that Blanc, with all of her stoic attitude, still enjoys being with her younger twin sisters; kindhearted and silent Rom, and slightly-annoying-but-still-adorable-nonetheless Ram. The whole thought is that she absolutely refuses to allow them to grow up (though many wonder if they even _can_), and thus tries to preserve childlike innocence throughout her lofty nation. Others tend to believe that, just like her rival Neptune, she also enjoys being with kids, and utterly hates the thought that anyone would ever dare try to either hurt them or ruin their dreams. Being what many perceive to be a kid herself, it is no wonder that she would want her little sisters, as well as other kids around her home to be as happy and innocent as humanly possible.

Thus, on any Heartmas Eve, Blanc would always be at, as many would say, her kindest. Whereas she was normally a hardass to anyone (including her own sisters), on this special night, she would allow even children not affiliated with anyone in the Basilicom to come sit on her lap, so that she could read them a beautiful, Heartmas story, in order to warm up the mood for the oncoming morning. Even for those that debated whether or not the Santa-Tome truly existed, the young Goddess would always find a way to revigorate their beliefs, and they would always leave the Basilicom once more with the beliefs that a tiny fairy-like creature would eventually come to their abode, and drop down all of their sought-out gifts right underneath that beautiful Heartmas tree. It was quite the turnover for her character, but in the end, not one soul complained about her duty.

Even her fellow Oracle, Madam Mina, was generally impressed with her Goddess's transformation during the holiday season. Being that she knew Blanc since, well, mostly forever, it always did creep her out to see her friend's face become so nice and happy, instead of one filled with anger and rage over all the little things in life. In the end, though, she did agree with the masses over how this was a grand thing, and decided to just accept it like the twins did before. Still, it sometimes made her sad, for the majority of the year was her trying to calm the irate Goddess down, and often she found herself doing most of the work, anyways. It was a strange thing to feel sad about, since she now had her freedom for at least a day or two, but sometimes she enjoyed Blanc cursing her out. I don't understand, either, if you were about to question.

So, with that out of the way, why am I still babbling about how Lowee celebrates this holiday in general, when I could be showing you an actual example that occurred roughly around the same time that Planeptune and Lastation experienced their strange moments during the eve? Come now; let us enjoy what might just be another depressing-if-slightly hopeful tale of the Holidays. Ah, the morning star on top of the Heartmas tree rings a melodic sound, all throughout this crisp, night air!

…

On this particular night, coupled with the experiences of Noire and Neptune, Blanc was once more in her overzealous persona, looking as a happy as a dogoo on an ice-cream cone. She sat on a rather big chair in the middle of the Basilicom's foyer, the walls around her decked with a rather large assortment of frilly colors and rainbow-like garland. Even on the ground around her, decorations rang about, from candy-cane's lining up towards her to multi-color gumdrops (unfortunately for the two young candidates, they were inedible) decorated about, some even covered in fake snow. On normal days, the Basilicom was rather pleasant-to-the-eye, of course, but on the weeks before Heartmas, the main room where one would enter suddenly became a winter paradise; many wouldn't believe it, but the Goddess of Lowee was the one that placed most of this stuff up.

In the end, she looked exactly how the Santa in out world would appear (besides the chubby part and huge, white beard, understandably), the type that would allow you to be perched upon her knee, and allow you to tell her exactly what you want for the oncoming Holiday. Yes, instead of the classic white garment she normally wore, or even that eastern-red-and-white gown she partook in the other dimension, she simply wore a plain, red dress, going all the way down to her knees, the top portion even having buttons for the sleeve-like scarf dotted around her neck. Aw, look, she even had a Santa-like hat on, complete with a big, white puff ball at the end! She appeared as though she was a young lady attempting to look like a stereotypical Grandma, though it in the end she just came out to be a person you could just pet all day. Sorry for sounding like a pervert, but that was the general consensus for the, ahem, "guys" that often snuck in. They were usually either destroyed horribly for "infecting the children," or escorted out by Mina before the going got rough. She didn't really ever do that to ladies, oddly enough.

Still, even with the possibility of killing a dumb "bloak" (As she randomly called them), she still always looked so cheerful for the children, and even though it was common for her to snap at her little sisters for doing something stupid on any other day, she actually never attempt to raise her voice on Heartmas or its Eve, as the children were strangely obedient, even when antsy to finally get to see what is under their beautiful trees. It was a relief to Mina, no doubt, and this particular night was no different. However, for the sake of general consensus, how about we foresee what occurs precisely around 7:00 PM that very special eve.

At this point, Blanc pulled out a huge book, one that was nearly bigger than herself, while five children, including her two younger sisters, Ram and Rom, sat eagerly to hear what their CPU was about to say. Due to the time, Mina instructed Blanc that this would be the last group, as all children had to get back to their homes for bed; the Goddess surprisingly got sad over this, but she eventually understood. The sky outside looked bleak, and snow slowly began to trickle down upon the cold ground, the windows above everyone's heads giving a clear vantage point for the whole world to see. The lights during this time were dimmed down, the room only be lit now by the Heartmas lights, with fake snow, candy canes, gumdrops, fake waving santa-tomes, and small-but-still-significant fake Heartmas trees accelerating the mellow atmosphere.

"Oh, oh, what story is this, Mama Blanny? Is it really, really cool?" a little girl no older than six asked, jumping about in joy. The CPU of Lowee had to admit that seeing this young girl still fully energized at this time of day was quite something, though she hid her surprise behind a beautiful and welcoming smile. To her nation, it was the greatest gift of all; to the other lands, it meant that somehow, they were going to get their asses kicked.

When she spoke to her, the voice of the Goddess came out disturbingly heavenly. "Of course it is, little one. Would I ever lie to you?" Blanc said, never opening her eyes, looking like the number one mother in the world. All the children (yes, even her little sisters) made a gigantic gasp of surprise, before clapping ecstatically. The Goddess made a nice "eheh" noise from this confirmation, and finally opened her eyes. Instead of terrifying everyone alive when she did this, the room actually began to feel much warmer than usual, and suddenly the atmosphere grew silent, as all the little ones began to prepare for the greatest reading of all.

"Okay everyone, I saved the best one for last. It's a personal favorite of mine, helped me get through a rough holiday every once in a while. It's a timeless classic known as "Santy-Tomey is Coming, Right?" written by, well, a personal friend of mine," she stated, not even attempting to hide her reddening face, which made some of the children go "aw~" or "ew, cooties!" The friend in question was none other than Falcom, whom Blanc couldn't help but just straight out _adore_, though for the sake of keeping her fandom-nature a lingering secret, she restricted the revelation of this author. It didn't help, however, that one of the little girls in the audience tonight looked very suspiciously like a smaller version of her.

"Oh man, I saw that cover in your room! It looked so awesome! Please, please oh _please _read it!" Ram begged, one of the only times she was actually fully pumped to hear her sister actually read something (most of the time, she would just pretend to be asleep or act up in one of her various, hilarious antics). The other twin, Rom, didn't say even a peep, though she did nod with much enthusiasm, her blue cap appearing much more red for some odd reason. Seeing all the happy faces in the crowd, The CPU couldn't look any more pleased, and began to open the cover. Behind all of these fine decorations, Oracle Mina stood within a doorway, only watching with pleased eyes as the Goddess began to speak.

"Lo, the night was still ever so young! What a night for those who slumber! What a night for those who thrive! What a night for peace on Gamindustri! Yes, glory be on Heartmas Eve!..."

With every word she spoke, it felt as though angels came and scooped up each child, bringing them through clouds of curiosity and wonder, a feeling of joy and safety ringing about their tiny frames as the heavenly voice of their Goddess read on and on and on. There was never a moment of hesitation, not a single stutter , as though all the words came directly from her soul. It all sounded so natural, and Blanc was the perfect candidate for telling this wonderful tale.

"But alas, she cried, 'Dearest Momma, it is five minutes till 10, and yet I have no sign of Santy-Tomey! When will she come? She is coming, right Momma?'"

There were points where her voice grew ecstatic, while other points had her go silent; some points felt like bumps in the road, while others felt like smooth sailing. Each emotion perfectly captured the mood set upon the text in the book, and made the illustrations that accompanied each passage pop out much more than commonly thought. Each child listened intently to her wonderful words, not a single sound coming from any of them. It was the most serene thing Oracle Mina had ever experienced within the Lowee Basilicom.

The story continued onwards for maybe another five or so minutes. It wasn't the longest story, being a children's book, but it still held plenty of meaning, something that cannot be said for many of those "blockbuster" books out there today. "'And glory be!' shouted the Santa-Tome, 'Glory be to all and love! Glory to the children of the mountains, plains, and bays! Glory be to Heartmas Day!"

With that, Blanc nodded in a calm manner, and slowly closed the book for the night. For a moment, the room once more entered a perpetual state of silence, before all of the children clapped with an impressive vigor. "That was so awesome! I knew the Santa-Tome could take on those Dogrillas! They know Love conquers all!" one of the little children cheered, sounding quite enthusiastic at that ending (I didn't realize it had action in it). The other children also seemed to agree with her current state, as each of them (including the twins) rose a fist straight into the air and shouted "yeah!"

"Heh, glad you liked it as much as I did! Now, just before you get all crazy now, most Dogrillas _do _know the power of Heartmas, so don't go around claiming that all of them don't, okay?" The Goddess reassured the children, getting bad memories of last year, where she received millions of complaints from various "Nature Preserver" companies about children throwing rocks at the poor creatures. She received a huge scolding from Mina for that one.

"We Promise!" all the children replied to her in unison, though in the background, a mischievous Ram turned away with a deadly smirk on, quietly whispering "not really."

As she watched the children with glee, Mina walked over the Goddess, drawing her attention now to a big clock at the far end of the room. During the reading, the mighty time-teller told us all that 7:00 PM had drawn to a start, and now time has moved on up to 10 minutes. "Their parents want them back now, Lady Blanc. I'm terribly sorry to interrupt, by the way," Mina stated, bowing as she stood next to the chair.

Blanc looked disappointed, but nonetheless, she understood why they should leave so early; after all, the "Santa-Tome" would soon be knocking at their door, or in this case, chimney. "Wow, time sure does fly," she began, before turning back to the kids, "It looks like its time for some little kids out there to prepare for the little Fairy!" It was adorable, no doubt, but also frightening to hear Lowee's CPU talk so sweetly.

All the kids (once more, including the twins) all expressed shock and disbelief. "Ah, but Aunty Blanny, I want to hear another story! I like it when you tell them!"

"Yeah, they're always so cool and sweet and cool and awesome and cool and…"

"Come on, Mina! Can't she just tell us one more?" Ram begged her Oracle, knowing that her older sister's judgement was mostly based on whatever the blue-haired woman said. The rest of the kids soon turned their attention to this peculiar woman, all giving their best pupy-eyes in the hopes that this simple act would persuade the young woman to allow the Goddess to continue. Strange tactic, but then again, these are children we are talking about.

The scholarly-looking woman adjusted her finely-tinted glasses, and let out a sigh, still smiling but otherwise heavily judgmental. "I understand how all of you feel. If it means any consolation, I too enjoy hearing Lady White Heart tell her stories," she stated before crouching down, reaching eye-level with the children, "but it is very important that young children like you get their sleep for Heartmas. The Santa-Tome is a kind and generous soul, but she views children being up during this special night as being very naughty. I don't believe any of you are bad children, right?"

"No, no! We're good children!"

Mina nodded with a bright smile upon her face. "I thought so. Thus, in order to prove your good status, all the Santa-Tome asks of you is to sleep soundly tonight, so that when tomorrow comes, you can share in the happiness of the holidays. Besides, if I was still your age, I would sleep extra early tonight, so that when tomorrow comes, I would be fully energized to play with all the new gifts I received," the Oracle said, some of her words going over the children's heads (She sometimes failed with reasoning with the twins because of this).

Blanc quickly chimed in for support. "Mina's right, guys. I wouldn't want to be sleepy when I open my gifts, you know?" she said, politely standing up, randomly taking Rom's hand into hers. "If it means anything, the Basilicom's doors are always open tomorrow, so if you want, you can always stop by. I'll be more than happy to read to you then." With that, she gave a generous bow, her face looking extremely overjoyed.

All of the children beside her quickly lit up, their eyes sparkling at this sudden deal. "Wha-Really? Ah, you're the best, Aunty Blanny! I promise I'll stop by. I'll give you a gift and everything!" one of the little girls proclaimed, jumping in bliss and zeal. Blanc quickly grew overwhelmed, and rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment.

"P-Please, you don't have to do that! This is a holiday for you, not me. I want to give gifts to you!" she said, alarming Mina with that high level of benevolence. Seriously, how did the holiday transform this ill-tempered girl into a rather perfect, saintly woman? It will be a mystery for the Oracle until the day she die (if she could, I mean).

"Oh, don't be silly, sis! We're going to get you a gigantic, I don't know, chocolate candy bar! You'll never be able to finish it!"

"That…sounds fun."

Yes, even the twins were (Somewhat) affected by the holiday spirit; usually, they would have played a joke on the CPU by now. Blanc couldn't help but produce one of the biggest smiles ever seen upon a face of a girl, one that would warm the hearts of even the most stoic of warriors. "T-T-Thank you. All of you. You don't know how much this means to me," the Goddess said, the tears of gentle warmth coming from her eyes. "Please…I know we have to leave each other now, but I really wish you all to have a wonderful holiday. I really do."

It was a heartwarming scene, really, and in an instant, all of those little tikes went over to their lovable Goddess, and embraced her with a beautiful display of childlike affection. Blanc immediately returned the favor, her tears of joy still falling as she made a few more angels happy with their lives. Mina didn't partake in this lovely affair, though even she got a bit teary-eyed; anything involving Lowee's Goddess and hugs always melted the ice away.

Unfortunately, the embrace wouldn't last for long. As they shared this wonderful bond, the front doors of the Basilicom suddenly swung open, the falling snow starting to drift in. At the entrance, clad in a rather big, white coat, was nothing more than a tiny girl, probably reaching the age of 10, though it was hard to tell. She stood alone, though evident by the faint car way behind her, it was clear someone in her family drove her down. Her hair, blonde to the point of matching with her clothing, flowed with the wind, and her piercing blue eyes frightened all the occupants of this wondrous building.

"Hey, Aunty Blanny! You lied to me!"

Her words echoed through the hallowed halls as she began to walk rather grumpy towards the group. Blanc had absolutely nothing to say about all this, as she only stared at the little girl in complete confusion. Mina, who adjusted her glasses in fright, prepared to intervene, in case whatever was about to happen quickly grew out of hand.

"W-What do you mean? Aunt Blanny would never lie!" a little girl chose to defend her Goddess, even going so far as to make herself a shield in the line of defense. It was completely unnecessary, but eh, kids do the darnest things some times. Eventually, all of the little children stood in front of the Goddess (the twins occupying both ends of the makeshift wall), preparing for the worst, in case the kid was none other than a horrifying assassin. The Lowee CPU wanted to say something, but was again rendered speechless.

"Nuh uh! That lying goat told me the Santy-Tomey was real, and would come to my house tonight to give me presents. My mommy says he's not real, and you should be ashamed of your stupid, poopy-head!" she suddenly stated, stomping her foot as steam came from her ears. The children, Blanc, and Mina all gasped in shock at this outburst; there weren't many recorded incidents of a kid actually standing up to their fellow CPU, especially here in Lowee.

Seeing that her Goddess was still silent, the Oracle intervened. "Excuse me, little lady, but you are saying mean things to the leader of the nation. If you have nothing nice to say, then you are free to leave," she stated, hoping she modified that rule in order for someone as little as her could understand (the law was also much more violent, but that's Blanc for you). Everyone in the room quickly agreed with her, and somehow strengthened their wall; no one was going to get past the grand power of loli's and apparently one shota who really hasn't said anything.

Still, the little lady was unnerved. "I have freedom of speech, my mommy said so! Besides, I don't listen to a leader who lies to little kids!" she yelled once more, making everyone wince. She started to walk up towards the group, stamping with every step she drew. The other kids shot a glare at her, making her puff that little cheek out. "Tell me how many lies she said! Everything she told me was a lie! My mommy can prove it; I should know, since she's the smartest person alive!"

"Screw you!" the shota finally spoke, of course using a word that was still deemed a profanity to all little kids. Mina told him to hush, though deep within her mind, she didn't really blame him; she liked kids as much as the next Oracle, but even she sometimes has trouble dealing with spoiled brats. The little girl stuck her tongue out at the kid, and then proceeded to once more glare at the Goddess, who was still shocked by all of this.

Mina knew this was falling apart quickly. "Tell me, little lady, what is your name?"

"Why should I tell you? You're probably going to lie about yours, anyways!"

The Oracle drew a sigh. "It is proper conversational-etiquette to state your name truthfully to another person. I promise you, cross my heart and hope to die, as well as stick a needle in my eye, that I will say my real name," she stated, before bowing politely (much to the little girl's chagrin). "My name is Mina Nishizawa, but you may call me Mina, if you'd like."

The girl folded her arms and looked away. "Fine, I'll say it. My name is Samanthia Von Erich Gutentag, and you better address me as such, or you'll get the worst beating this side of a beat-em-up! There, is that enough etiquette for ya?" Samanthia Von Erich Gutentag stated, beginning to tap her foot. The twins began to chuckle at her elongated name, making (oh, please don't make me say it again) the little girl pout towards them.

Mina adjusted her glasses once more. "Okay, Samanthia, I mus-"

"Say my whole name when you address me!"

The Oracle sighed. "Okay, Samanthia _Von Erich Gutentag_, what lies did Lady Blanc tell you? As far as I'm concerned, I believe I remember you coming into this Basilicom, and you enjoyed your time here. What was that, a year ago? What happened, little child?"

Samanthia grunted and turned towards the door. "Don't say I'm a child! I'm close to being an adult, you know! Anyways, you're right, I came here last year to hear a Heartmas story, and do you know why?" she started, waiting for the other kids to actually start listening. Once Rom slightly lowered her head in confusion, the pompous little girl began once more. "Because she kept telling us that the Santy-Tomey exists! Gah, I feel so stupid for believing that! Really, a floating book comes into our houses every year, and drops us presents; yeah, how stupid and ill-ey-oh-log-ichal," she said, waving an accusatory finger at Lady White Heart.

This clearly upsetted some of the kids. "What are saying? Oh, if I could, I would slap you so hard, you would die to death!" one of the little girls stated, with the others nodding in agreement. Mina and Blanc continued to watch, hoping that this scene wouldn't escalate any further.

"What I'm saying? Hah, you're all fools! There is no Santa-Tome! It's just a stupid lie made by our so-called 'leader' to make us try to behave! Our parents are the one's who buy the gifts, not some stupid, floating book! We could be wild all we want, and our parents will still buy us gifts!" Samanthia Von Erich Gutentag shouted, suddenly growing a huge smirk, showcasing those perfectly white teeth (though if I were a better observer, I would say that a cavity was started to occur in the back of that bottom row).

All of the children gasped. "H-How could you say that? Santy-Tome exists! I know she does!" Ram stated, stomping a foot towards the girl, before turning towards her older sibling. "Blanc, tell her off! This is our home! You have the right to do it!"

Blanc continued to stare in shock, making the Oracle grow even more concerned. "Blancy, please tell me she's the one lying! Please!" The little boy stated, practically almost getting on his knees to beg. It would have been largely unnecessary, of course, but it made Mina see truly how much this going downhill.

_I could attempt to rectify this situation, but Lady Blanc should be the one doing it. It's for the children, after all…_

As she thought to herself, another presence suddenly made itself known in the Basilicom. "Samanthia, darling, what is taking so long?" A loud-mouthed mother shouted, her gigantic white coat (coupled with a completely white dress underneath; god, I hope that has stain-protection) matching perfectly with the little, pompous girl. No one had to even think about how these two were related.

"Sorry, mama, but these fools still won't believe me! That Goddess is a lying, cheating, terrible poopy-face, and these people just don't see it! Help me, mommy!"

The apparent mother of this child angrily stepped forward, her brow as furrowed as her daughters; it was way too disturbing how these two looked so alike. Mina made the deepest sigh any living creature could produce; today was just not her day. "What? How could they still believe in her charred words? These kids should know that the Santa-Tome is just a stupid fraud made by a stupid girl!" the mother yelled, a pocketbook (yeah, she actually carried one; bright white, too) being flung about as she hastily placed her hands upon those godforsaken hips.

The Oracle fake-adjusted her glasses, and looked at the mother with a perfect stern expression. "Excuse me, miss, but do you happen to be the mother of this child?" It was an obvious question, but Mina had to start somewhere. Can't just start in a weird place and expect to win.

The mother made a nasily-sounding "hmph" and placed a huge hand upon her child. "As a matter of fact, I am, and how dare you address my darling little girl as a mere child! She has much more class than you can ever hope to accomplish. In fact, _she _should be the true Oracle to Lowee. Not some low-class denizen such as yourself!" That hurt the Oracle lack a gigantic sack of bricks being lunged at her at the speed of light. She could have easily snapped right there and just thrown the two of them out, but she was quite the resiliant one, and she managed to contain her composure.

"Madam, I am terribly sorry, but you must understand that you, along with your daughter, suddenly bursting into the Basilicom with criticism on your mind is quite the scene. Lady Blanc is trying to bond with these lovely children, so we best not disturb her," she stated, once more looking at her fellow Goddess. At this point, Lady White Heart was still quiet as all hell, but there was a noticeable change going on upon the canvas of her face. You see, her mouth was twitching, and her eyes began to slowly narrow down in anger. Simply put, it was as if she was ready to snap. _Oh, please don't snap. Not in front of everyone like this!_

The mother growled, Samanthia now hiding behind her, grinning like some sort of sly raccoon. "Gah, how dare you say that to my face! She is most definitely _not _bonding with these children, no sir! She's brainwashing them for no good reason, trying to make them join this bloody, corrupted government you say is protecting us!"

"But why does Santy-Tomey not exist?" one of the little girls said. Mina really wished they didn't get involved, but beggars can't be choosers. The mother lowered herself towards the little one, and unlike with Samanthia, all of the kids backed away in fright; this was certainly no ordinary woman.

"I'm going to tell you this as discreet as possible. This world we live in…do you think its filled with happiness and joy? Go on, answer me!" she yelled, making Mina ready to try and get in front of her, or something of that nature. However, surprisingly, Blanc held her hand out, preventing the Oracle from doing anything. All of the kids, due to still being active, nodded in anger; even the twins, who had experienced hellish villains and disturbing monsters, still felt that the world was just a perfect abode. "Well, let me tell you something, then. The world _sucks_. There is nothing redeemable about it. It is just one big ball of disappointment right after the other. Feel happy whenever your birthday comes around? Great, because you are one more bloody year close to _death_. Love playing with your parents? Well, they'll be dead soon, as all of you will when the time comes!

"And this Santa-Tome…that damn idea they keep passing around? He or she nothing but a huge joke! There is no such thing as a Santa-Tome; not before, and certainly not now. All of these stupid things are made to do one thing, and that is to delude your minds into thinking that everything is magic and whimsical. It makes you think that there are no wars to be fought, no resources to fight over, no famines and sickness…all of that happens, you damn brats! When something bad happens, what are you going to do, huh? Call the police, or maybe your parents? Yeah, you will, because you think everything will get better because of them, because in life nothing bad will ever happen to you, and that train of thought is thanks to that blasted book!

"So everything you have heard from Lady White Heart here is, pardon my Northern-Planeptunian, bullshit! The Santa-Tome will not be observing your behavior, nor will he or she be flying around tonight and giving presents to all he or she deems appropriate. No, if anything, the Santa-Tome is laughing at you idiots for believing in them, and thus being brainwashed by your government into thinking that the world is a perfect place. That is why my darling Samanthia Von Erich Gutentag is the smartest one in this room; well, besides me of course. She knows that the world is not fun, and that any attempt in thinking that it will be fun will just usher in more pointless disappointments!"

Mina, Blanc, and the little children all stared at the bizarre woman in complete bewilderment, unsure of what to even say. This mother, grand ruler over this bratty young daughter (who kept silently cheering "yah, tell 'em, mommy!"), just literally charged into the Basilicom, and right in everyone's faces, practically told them off. The Santa-Tome, apparently to her created by the government in order to somehow make everyone believe the world was, in what Blanc interpreted, "squeaky-clean," was nothing, and that all of these children should just accept the fact that the world was, essentially, dirty. Wow, that's a stupid thing to say in front of the freaking CPU.

"B-B-But Santy-Tomey is coming tonight! I know it is!"

The mother once more looked straight into Ram's eyes (suddenly, Blanc appeared to, dare I say it, "uncoil" within her own mind), and with a sinister grin, made a light chuckle. "I hate to break it to you, but he or she isn't. You aren't getting presents from them, and if you were lucky, you won't be receiving any presents at all. Teach you that this world is terrible a lot quicker than most!"

Ram could have easily taken this evil woman down, but for some reason, she was just too frightened of her face, and probably thanks to the mood of the holiday and the cheer that was slowly being washed away in a flood of tears, she just couldn't muster the courage to fight. Thus, she was nearly reduced to a horrific, pitiful mass of fear, tears rolling down her eyes. Mina could only get furious.

Blanc…well, let's just say that she was ready to kill.

"Tell me," the CPU of Lowee suddenly stated, slowly lifting her legs to move once more. Mina drew a sigh of relief, glad to see her friend was now on the move, though she couldn't help but fear that this whole scene was going to get messy. "Tell me one thing, woman-I-refuse-to-know-by-name. How was your Heartmas's over the past years of your life?"

The mother looked at her weird, and the daughter continued to pout. "Not cool! I'm still young, and I already know it's not polite to just suddenly ask people really stupid questions! Right, mommy?" Samanthia stated, tugging at her mother's sleeve, feeling somehow that the two of them had already won whatever battle they were currently participating in. The mother looked at with scorn, but soon nodded towards Blanc.

"Samanthia Von Erich Gutentag is right! You can't just ask inappropriate questions like that! What does my past have anything to do with your lying?" she yelled, stomping her foot down, the decorations surrounding the two of them shaking in an instant. Lady White Heart, however, was unnerved by this rash woman.

"Oh, the past has everything to do with the problem at hand. Tell me, with all of your supposed knowledge about how my government actively attempts to brainwash poor little kids into thinking the world I guess is perfect, did you ever at one point believe in Santa-Tome?" the Goddess asked, her face completely devoid of any form of emotion. The little kids all stared at her as she slwoly made her way towards the mother, who couldn't help but begin to back up. It is always charming to see a tall, husky person, boy or girl, back away from Blanc, who is usually only half their size, if that. Mina had no idea how this would play out, though she still watched in eager anticipation.

The mother was silent for a moment, her face constantly contorting, as if she was trying to get a fly out of her nose. Her little girl was confused, never once before seeing her dear mother have problems with a situation quite unusual like this. Finally, when she did speak a moment later, her voice was audibly shaky, and her arms began to mildly shake along with it. "W-Well, of course! I am a genius, but every genius starts off as a fool! I was diluted by your stupid, Lowee government into thinking that the Santa-Tome exist, but I haven't believed in it since 25 years ago. My dad told me that they don't exist, and ever since then, my eyes have been opened to the world, and it wasn't a pretty sight!" she stated, trying not to lose ground here. Though it was really muted, her daughter was trying to ask for the validity of that story.

Blanc let out a tired cough, before looking directly into the elder woman's eyes. "So, your dad is responsible for telling you that the Santa-Tome doesn't exist, eh?"

"Yep, that's about right, and don't you dare make me say it twice!"

The Goddess began to stroke her chin as she moved forward. "Now, about your papa for a second…"

The mother quickly grew appalled. "What? What does he have to do with this? Leave my family out of this! Next, you'll want me telling you what food my uncle loves!"

Blanc was clearly not amused, and was rather getting tired of this woman's presence. "Relax, lady, I'm not going that far. Your father told you that the Santa-Tome doesn't exist. Did he also beat you when you were young, or neglected you because of some stupid, half-ass reason, or maybe even grew annoyed of having to hear a young kid constantly shout out loud how much she really wants that new tricycle? Did you have a traumatic childhood?" The CPU said, never raising nor lowering her voice. The kids all grew confused and slightly afraid, while Mina nodded, actually starting to piece all the parts of the puzzle Blanc was crafting. I really hope she clues me in on this, since I'm still completely confused.

"M-My childhood was good, dammit. It was fine, and great! How dare you think otherwise! M-My father was a great man. He never lied to me, like you always seem to do! He told me how bad this world is, and you know what? He meant every word he said. So, I didn't care about that stupid Santa-Tome not existing, or how since it really doesn't exist, I'll never get that great Holiday Miku Doll with hundreds of configuration options that could lead to quite a lot of whacky scenarios. No, not at all!" She just randomly decided to blurt out, her face clearly about to cave in with remembrances. Blanc had to admit, she knew something happened in the past, but she didn't expect this outcome at all.

Still, she had an argument to win. "Well, whether or not something happened and you were affected or not, that gives you no right to just suddenly steal away the innocence from that poor child!" Blanc suddenly yelled, realizing that she was right in the face of the angry woman. She soon knelt down, right around the point where she could look Samanthia right in the eye. "I know you don't mean any of the words you say. I'm sorry she affected you like this," The Goddess said as loud as possible, just so the mother could get super angry (that wasn't to get anything out of her; that was simply due to Blanc being kind of a dick, even during Heartmas Eve). The little girl pouted at her, but once she did so, Blanc was already back on her own two feet.

"I hate the fact that not only did you influence your daughter's beliefs, but you also are trying to affect both these young kids and mine! I could give a rat's ass that you hate how I run things, but you never go on and just, right in front of a child's face, say that everything they know is completely wrong! If your dad told you that the Santa-Tome is not real, then by all means, believe that, but don't just shove his beliefs on others!" she began to say, before personally pulling the mother in real close. Samanthia let out one of those annoying screams all annoying brats let out, and Blanc did feel bad for threatening her mother right in front of her poor eyes. Unfortunately, she had no other choice.

In a hushed whisper, she started to speak once more: "Look, I know that we can't confirm that the Santa-Tome really exists. I've been alive for maybe 100 years or maybe even a million, and I still try to figure it out! But these kids haven't been around for that long, so I think having some sense of imagination is good, you know?" her voice was loud enough for the mother to hear, while the kids hadn't a clue as to what the Goddess was actually saying. It was a strange fact to tell a woman who was clearly ready to wipe the floor with you, but Blanc was not the one to shy away from any conflict.

Still, the mother grew furious once more. "Grr…imagination is what will doom them! They think ridiculous things exist, and the next thing you know, they will think that hell breaking loose is just, I don't know, a _magical _occurrence that will most certainly have no ill-consequence to them. Jeez, why can't you understand?" she yelled directly into the Goddess's face. Mina felt that her long-held friend was in danger of some sorts, and began to walk in as reinforcements, but the CPU detected her sudden movement, and once more held an arm out. The Oracle did indeed stop, though she feared and wondered what her Lady was attempting to really do.

The Goddess of Lowee shook her head. "Trust me when I say this, believing in the Santa-Tome has absolutely nothing to do with whatever you are saying. I have no idea what your father told you when you were young, but my sisters over there have believed in that book ever since they were born, and not once has that lead to any negative effects on either of our lives," Blanc stated, before once more kneeling down, her red dress making her look like a Grandmother trying to rationalize with a bothersome kid (which is kind of what's happening). "Look, Samanthia, I know you think your mother is the smartest thing alive, and trust me, I do not doubt that for a second! However, if you want to not believe in the Santa-Tome at your age, that is perfectly fine, but don't believe in it because your mother told you not to believe in it, all right? You have freedom of speech, if I remember correctly."

Samanthia Von Erich Gutentag looked right into the eyes of Blanc, looking quite scornful, yet at the same time understanding. She chose not to say anything, though whatever the CPU fully meant, the little, pompous girl was attempting to take it all into consideration. The mother tugged at her, most likely trying to make her stop using her own head, but Blanc put a stop to that.

"Look, I'm sorry that we may have to cut this short, but it is getting awfully close to 8:00. I know you don't think anything special is happening over the course of the night, but for those that do, they really need to be home and in bed," she stated, finally walking away from the mother, getting enough room so that she could bow. "Thus, though you don't believe in it, I really do wish you a happy holiday, anyways. Take care, Samanthia and woman-I-still-don't-really-care-finding-out-the-name-for."

Mina was surprised to the Goddess actually end a fight in this manner; on any other day besides Heartmas Eve, she would have torn her opponent a new on. _Well, I guess it worked out in the end_, the Oracle thought, returning her attention to the young audience around her, who began to clap and cheer, most likely assuming that the mother was an evil dragon, and Blanc was the knight in shining armor sent to finally behead it. A dark take on this scene, yes, but that is disturbingly childhood for you.

The mother appeared to give Blanc the stink eye, not enjoying hearing the mention of her father anywhere at all. "Hmph, fine, but I guess I won, then!" she said, hoping to get a negative reaction from the Goddess; however, all the CPU of Lowee did was shrug with a smile on. That pissed the mother off even more. "Come, Samanthia Von Erich Gutentag, we are leaving. Leave these poor kids to fall victim to the damn Government! See how long it takes until they realize I'm right!"

She quickly turned around, a huge pocketbook in one hand, and Samanthia in the other, and quickly went towards the door. The little girl turned her head around and blew a raspberry towards them. "Later, losers!" she said, the most genius insult any little girl could say. However, as Blanc could make out, there was something different in her eyes; something much more childlike and whimsical, though it was too hard to tell. Eventually, they did leave, and as they did, more parents arrived at the door, though this time they were those who parented the children The CPU was reading too.

_Well, that was a waste of my time, _Blanc thought to herself, making an adorable chuckle as she turned around to the kids, who began to run up towards her. "Hey, hey, come on, it wasn't that impressive!"

All of the kids (yep, once more including the twins) looked up to her with starry eyes. "Of course it was, Mama Blanny! You gave that evil woman the one-two-buckle-my-shoe! She was a meany, and you were awesome!"

However, one of the kids was clearly not as enthusiastic as the rest. In fact, that little kid turned out to be none other than Rom herself, who appeared to be really sad. Her twin sister noticed her face first. "Hey, what's up, Rom? Why do you look so sad?"

The little blue-clad girl looked at her sister, noticing that essentially the entire room was now looking at her. "I'm sorry, but…the Santa-Tome…does she really…exist?" it was an adorable question asked by an adorable girl, observed by an adorable crowd. The rest of the kids looked at her funny, but soon they all turned back to Blanc, who was shocked to see their sudden perk of interest, all of them wondering about the same, age-old question. That woman was a brute, no doubt, but what if she was right? What if there truly was no Floating book that came to everyone's houses every night to deliver all the presents the world had to offer? No, she had to exist, but what was Blanc to do? She hated being caught in the spotlight.

So, after being quiet for a few moments, the Goddess of Lowee knelt down, placing a hand on Rom's delicate shoulder. "I could say a lot things, but I'll say this, for all of you, not just Rom. Do you want the Santa-Tome to exist?"

All the children quickly nodded their heads, their parents feeling their hearts suddenly grow aflutter as the scene continued. "Then as long as you believe in the Santa-Tome, she or he will be just as real as you or me. It's up to you to decide whether or not they exist, but in my experiences, I have yet to ever encounter a reason why not to believe in them."

Hearing those words sent shockwaves through the kids, as they all jumped for joy, including the previously-worried Blanc. "Yay! Then Santy-Tomey exists! I know she does, I know she does!" one of the little girls said. Lady White Heart let out a nice laugh, happy to see the children happy as well. Mina adjusted her glasses once more, glad to see that everything worked out well in the end. She went over and told the parents to just give them a minute.

"I'm sorry, but I think it's time for all of you to head off to bed. I had a really great time with all of you," Blanc said in a cheerful tone, all of the children hugging her to no end. Her audience quickly looked somber, but they eventually cheered up, knowing that the Santa-Tome was most definitely coming tonight. "I wish you all a Merry Heartmas. Remember, these Basilicom Doors are always open tomorrow, so stop by if you get the chance."

The children all said okay, and after holding that heartfelt embrace for so long, they finally departed from one another. The children (excluding the Twins this time) all ran to their parents, and after a nice barrage of "thank you's," the doors were finally closed for the night. With that, Blanc sighed in happiness as she sat back down on that comfy chair, her sisters happily sitting nearby.

…

Eventually, those twins were put to bed, and Mina was about check in herself, when she noticed Lady White Heart sitting on a sofa within the Heartmas Tree room. Curious, the scholarly woman walked in to investigate, hoping not to cause any trouble with her lady; Blanc could be an ass, but on Heartmas Eve, she usually was in bed at the required time. This, of course, was a strange exception.

She soon entered the room, which was covered in all sorts of lights. While the other Basilicoms decorated their Heartmas trees and other areas as well, Lowee always went all out. The room had the Heartmas tree in the center, and surrounding it, as though it came from a spider, a huge assortment of lights hanged about, most blue and white, with a variety of colors decorating around the Heartmas Tree. Some flashed on and off continuously, some remained stationary, while others changed color at the blink of an eye. It was quite the sight, and you would think that no one could actually read under those conditions, and yet there was the CPU, sitting on a nice recliner, reading the last few pages of whatever story she deemed interesting that night.

"Lady Blanc, may I ask why you are up?" Mina asked, keeping her vexation to a low-point. Blanc seemed to be in a good mood right now, so there was no point in ruining that. The Goddess looked up at her, smiling as she placed the book down beside her. She soon sat up accordingly, the red dress she sported earlier still covering her features.

"Eh, I don't know. Just felt like being in this room one last time before it goes all, you know, chaotic with the Twins. I just…you know, like it here," she said, stating her words with the sincere honestly a Goddess is expected to have. Mina shrugged, and decided to sit in the chair adjacent to her fellow ruler, looking at the tree in awe. The star on top, built with the color white-and-blue in mind, gave off a nice shine throughout the room, as though the tree itself was trying to reach out them. Preposterous, but this is a holiday fanfic, after all.

After an elongated moment of silence, the Oracle finally decided to say something she wanted to all night. "My lady, I deeply honor how you handled tonight's situation. Even I admit that, if I were you, I would have probably snapped at that woman. Yet, you kept you cool, and managed to not scare the children. Really, you have complete gratitude, Lady Blanc," she said, also with the sincerity all Oracles should aspire to. The CPU shrugged once more, clearly getting embarrassed from all this, turning her head away from Mina.

"Well, of course. Normally, I would've just blasted that bitch out of my Basilicom, but I don't know. Kids, man…they're my weakness," she said, chuckling to herself, starting to move her legs up and down out of sheer, er, boredom I presume. For another spell, they were quiet again, and for a slight second, Mina could have sworn that White Heart just fell asleep. However, when she spoke again, that thought was quickly shoved under the bed. "Hey, Mina, that little girl with that woman. Samanthia, right? She didn't believe in the Santa-Tome?"

The Oracle was alarmed by the sudden question, but smiled and nodded. "I believe that was the case. Why do you ask?"

Another shrug. "Eh, just wondering. I don't why, but I still wonder when Ram and Rom will stop believing in the Santa-Tome. I mean, they are definitely still young in my book, but you know what I mean. That poor kid…I still can't believe her mother actually told her that! Isn't that a form of child abuse? If it is, then yeah, I would have no qualm with beating her ass. Seriously, I really hope the twins don't stop believing because of something like that," she stated, her voice calm, yet at the same time quite somber. Mina nodded along, understanding what her longtime friend was saying. Even she sometimes asked that question.

"I know, Blanc, but trust me, they'll probably way older by the time they figure it out. I wouldn't worry too much on it," she said, smiling as she once more continued to look at the Heartmas Tree with envy. The Goddess soon found herself slouching on the chair, still appearing to be bothered.

"I guess so. I just hope that, when that day comes, it would be for a better reason, you understand? Heh, to tell you the truth, I still believe in it after all these years. You must think I'm a fool," Blanc stated, still smiling with a sheepish intent, joining the Oracle in looking at the tree. She had to admit, Ram was good at putting that star up there every year.

Mina looked down, lost in thought. _Of course I think you are a fool, but that's not a bad thing_, she thought the words in her head, really hoping not to anger her Goddess, especially in a strange atmosphere like this. Eventually, she turned to face her Goddess, standing up as she went over to place a hand upon that shoulder. "You are most certainly not a fool for thinking that, Blanc. I mean, every year, you come out to the Basilicom's lobby, and teach all the little kids in Lowee how great the season is. Personally, I find that highly noble of you, and when the day does come where they see that the Tome doesn't exist, I think they'll still thank you for making their childhoods memorable. That's my take on it, though," the Oracle said, enjoying her own words as she slowly inched her way towards the door.

The Goddess nodded, her eyes starting to close repeatedly. She was a good Goddess, no doubt, but many things have occurred where she could be labeled as a fraud. Still, her love for the kids and the attempt to keep them with an imagination was all the more admirable, and it was something that the other Goddesses cherished as much as Mina (though of course they would never say it out loud). Not really use to the praise in form of this, All Blanc did was smile once more, looking quite hilarious. "Thanks" was all she said, and even then it was in a low grumble.

Mina bowed to her. "Any time, my lady. Now, I know you are an adult, but you need to go to bed soon as well. Please, just don't stay up too long, okay?" the Oracle stated, though more in a reassuring manner rather than a lecture. With that, she bowed one more time, before getting a last glimpse of the star as the door close behind her. With that, Blanc remained alone in the room, still looking embarrassed as she picked up the book again.

She still believed in the Santa-Tome, but sometimes she wondered if she believed enough. That poor girl, Samanthia Von Erich Gutentag, would probably never believe in it again, and will unfortunately probably have to grow up faster. That was something the Goddess didn't want to occur, both to her, the twins, and essentially everyone in the whole world. Kids should be kids, not adults working in the adult world. She is technically an adult now, and she hates every single minute of it. Running a nation is much more complicated than one thinks, and after all of the hellish things that have occurred in her life, it was kind of difficult to be happy over even the smallest of things. If kids as young as Samanthia have to experience this world that soon, it would be no wonder why the next generation will be so miserable.

But in the end, the holiday season was the only time Blanc could truly be happy and without a care. It was a time for not only her, but for the whole world to just relax and enjoy themselves; even if they didn't celebrate Heartmas or the other holidays, it was still the opportune time to just accept life, and enjoy all the things it has to offer. In the end, whether or not the Santa-Tome exists or not was completely irrelevant, as the whole atmosphere of the season was the most powerful thing of all. Maybe she was just a symbolic representation of everything the holidays stood for…

"Nah," said Blanc, chuckling to herself as she read the final page of her chosen book, "She's real. She just likes giving out presents, Not that I'm complaining."

As she finished up for the night, the mighty star upon that mighty tree amassed a huge glow that filled the entire room with the blue-ness of liberty and virtue. Blanc honestly didn't care about the symbolism (Which is bad, considering she is an aspiring writer), but she always did enjoy the impact the room had on her. Heartmas a grand holiday, and even without a floating book, it could still be very easily celebrated by many.

...

Due to time constraints, Vert refused to allow me to tell about her night on Heartmas Eve. Thus, our tale ends here. I wish you all pleasant dreams during this holiday season, and I hope that the new year will just as great as this one. Have a good one, everybody.


End file.
